Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Acquires 196 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp increased its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,596 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $2,492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 1,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in AutoNation by 4.6% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its holdings in AutoNation by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 1,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 6,583 shares of the company’s stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in AutoNation by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $144.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of AutoNation stock traded down $1.90 on Thursday, hitting $157.62. 53,888 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 438,384. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $182.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $153.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a PE ratio of 7.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $5.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.17. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.79% and a return on equity of 48.76%. The business had revenue of $6.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.37 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue 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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total transaction of $539,563.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $908,630.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 10,804 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total transaction of $1,669,866.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jacqueline A. Travisano sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.98, for a total value of $539,563.58. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $908,630.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 121,279 shares of company stock valued at $19,361,962 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

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.