Prosperitas Financial LLC Has $4.08 Million Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Prosperitas Financial LLC raised its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 21,981 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,689 shares during the period. Prosperitas Financial LLC owned 0.07% of AutoNation worth $4,084,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 192,434.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth about $438,689,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 260.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,064,000 after acquiring an additional 241,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 51.8% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after purchasing an additional 215,577 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,757,580. This trade represents a 10.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Northcoast Research raised shares of AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Ten 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 stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.00.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $207.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $202.34 and a 200-day moving average of $197.28. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81. The company has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.72.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.