Raymond James & Associates Has $8.01 Million Stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Raymond James & Associates trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 22.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 44,781 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,303 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.11% of AutoNation worth $8,012,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in AutoNation by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 202 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Denali Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 79.7% during the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 248 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 498.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 407 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total transaction of $7,189,355.42. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,786,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at $694,492,393.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.06, for a total transaction of $91,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,825,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $696,441,036.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 39,194 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.43, for a total value of $7,189,355.42. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,786,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at $694,492,393.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.74% of the company's stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

AutoNation stock traded down $3.67 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $155.47. 494,771 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 428,772. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.84. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $126.60 and a fifty-two week high of $197.18. The stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.31 by ($0.32). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 32.44%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.29 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $187.00 to $181.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $210.00 target price for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $200.43.

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.