Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 2,357 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 11.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 22,813 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,357 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $4,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation by 27.1% in the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 57,269 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,825,000 after purchasing an additional 12,210 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 180.1% during the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,727,000 after purchasing an additional 8,491 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,443,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $2,247,000. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $4,077,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $213.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $195.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $198.49. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $176.62 and a 1 year high of $235.81. 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 earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The company had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.26 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More AutoNation News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoNation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted second-quarter EPS rose to $5.56, exceeding the roughly $5.43–$5.48 analyst consensus. Net income increased 111% year over year to $182.1 million, helped by improved profitability. Revenue Miss, EV Sales Slump Send AutoNation Stock Lower
• Positive Sentiment: After-sales produced a record gross profit, customer-pay revenue grew 7%, and Customer Financial Services gross profit per unit increased 3%, demonstrating resilience in AutoNation’s higher-margin operations. The company also repurchased $457 million of stock during the first half and acquired four dealerships representing approximately $600 million in annual revenue. AutoNation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects adjusted EPS growth in the second half and is targeting SG&A at 66% to 67% of gross profit by year-end, signaling a focus on operating leverage and expense discipline. AutoNation outlines SG&A target and second-half EPS growth
• Neutral Sentiment: AutoNation’s luxury-vehicle strategy is accelerating. While this could improve margins and mix over time, it also increases investor attention on demand trends in a more cyclical and potentially softer market. AutoNation beats on profit but misses revenue as luxury pivot accelerates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined approximately 1% year over year to $6.93 billion, below the roughly $7 billion consensus. Lower new-vehicle sales and a slump in electric-vehicle sales reinforced concerns about softer dealership demand and ongoing macroeconomic pressure. AutoNation Revenue Falls on Lower New-Vehicle Sales

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.18.

AutoNation Profile

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.