Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 424 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank cut its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,414 shares of the company’s stock after selling 424 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $67,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 17.9% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AutoNation Trading Up 5.9 %

NYSE AN opened at $169.88 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.06, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.81 and a 12 month high of $182.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $154.30 and a 200-day moving average of $144.88.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 48.76% and a net margin of 3.79%. The firm’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 posted $6.05 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AN. StockNews.com lowered AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised AutoNation from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $117.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on AutoNation from $165.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 stock was sold at an average price of $154.56, for a total value of $1,669,866.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,267,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,640,441.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 3,671 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.67, for a total value of $549,438.57. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 6,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,259.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 121,279 shares of company stock worth $19,361,962. Company insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

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.