Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Sells 2,000 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 32.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,200 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $631,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in AutoNation by 3,729.5% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 505,268 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after acquiring an additional 492,074 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 29.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,505,122 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,880,000 after purchasing an additional 338,288 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at $26,990,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 754,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,300,000 after buying an additional 181,942 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 211.1% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 202,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,731,000 after buying an additional 137,431 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total transaction of $16,126,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $925,259.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962 over the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Bank of America lowered their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI started coverage on AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $154.14 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $6.43 billion, a PE ratio of 6.80, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $152.90 and a 200 day moving average of $144.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.37 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Profile

AutoNation, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and parts and services, such as automotive repair and maintenance, and wholesale parts and collision services.