Stephens Inc. AR Has $6.21 Million Stock Holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 35.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,697 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,854 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR owned about 0.09% of AutoNation worth $6,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of AN. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 54.1% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 51,743 shares of the company's stock worth $8,568,000 after acquiring an additional 18,157 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at $1,484,000. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 2nd quarter valued at $838,000. BOKF NA raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. BOKF NA now owns 53,461 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,808,000 after buying an additional 15,015 shares during the period. Finally, Caxton Associates LP purchased a new stake in AutoNation during the 1st quarter worth about $1,083,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

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

AutoNation Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE AN traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $156.25. The stock had a trading volume of 452,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 597,913. The company has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.21. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $168.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $167.87. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $129.32 and a 52 week high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.80.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.29 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company 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.