AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) Shares Sold by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Yousif Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,267 shares of the company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in AutoNation by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 44,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,767,000 after buying an additional 1,983 shares during the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $919,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its position in AutoNation by 69.6% in the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 11,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,752,000 after buying an additional 4,748 shares during the last quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,525,000. Finally, Dorsey Wright & Associates purchased a new position in AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,329,000. 94.62% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $175.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,197,224. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.26, for a total value of $16,126,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 4,167,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,013,960.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director David B. Edelson sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.00, for a total transaction of $1,680,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,197,224. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 131,279 shares of company stock valued at $21,041,962 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $162.85 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $182.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.42. The company has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.22.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 3.41% and a return on equity of 42.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.73 EPS for the current year.

AutoNation announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Friday, April 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.