AutoNation (NYSE:AN) CFO Thomas Szlosek Purchases 540 Shares of Stock

AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) CFO Thomas Szlosek bought 540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.10 per share, for a total transaction of $99,954.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,817,687.50. The trade was a 2.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

AutoNation Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $186.31 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.98, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.82. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $151.82 and a twelve month high of $235.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.74. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $175.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 30th. The company reported $5.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $7.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.93 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 31.18%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.01 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 20.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on AN shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on AutoNation from $255.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group decreased their target price on AutoNation from $248.00 to $213.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on AutoNation from $175.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.20.

AutoNation News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoNation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CFO Thomas A. Szlosek bought 1,081 shares across November 5 and 6 for about $199,801, increasing his holdings. Director Jacqueline Travisano also purchased 530 shares for about $98,204. These open-market purchases may indicate confidence in AutoNation’s prospects. CFO SEC filing Director SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $175 to $182 but kept an “equal weight” rating. The new target is still below the cited share price of $186.31, tempering the benefit of the increase. Morgan Stanley analyst recommendations

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AutoNation

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the second quarter worth $438,689,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the second quarter valued at $36,925,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in AutoNation during the second quarter valued at $33,673,000. Private Management Group Inc. raised its position in AutoNation by 85.9% during the third quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 144,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,799,000 after buying an additional 66,929 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in AutoNation by 4.0% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,478,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,784,000 after buying an additional 56,641 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AutoNation Company Profile

AutoNation, Inc is a U.S. automotive retailer that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships. Its stores offer vehicles from a range of manufacturers, along with related products and services.

The company also provides vehicle maintenance and repair, parts, and collision-repair services. Its offerings include financing and insurance products, as well as online tools that support vehicle research and purchasing.

Founded in 1996, AutoNation operates dealerships across the United States, with a presence concentrated in the Sun Belt.