Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Acquires 14,500 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 162.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,450 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 14,500 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $4,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 355.3% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 126.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AN opened at $188.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.20, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $228.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $196.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.20.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at approximately $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.90.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.