SG Americas Securities LLC Has $4.81 Million Stock Position in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 42.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 22,005 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,507 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.06% of AutoNation worth $4,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2,477.8% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in AutoNation by 45.3% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 375 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in AutoNation by 54.1% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 413 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $216.20 on Friday. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $148.33 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $206.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 0.88.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The company reported $5.01 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.85 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $7.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.74 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 31.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.02 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 18.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, October 31st that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 13.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $225.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen cut AutoNation from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on AutoNation from $265.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on AutoNation from $221.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.00.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc is the largest automotive retailer in the United States, operating a network of franchised new vehicle dealerships, pre-owned vehicle superstores and collision-repair centers. The company offers a comprehensive range of automotive products and services, including the sale of new cars and light trucks from leading manufacturers, certified pre-owned vehicles and a wide selection of used models. In addition to retail vehicle sales, AutoNation provides financing, insurance and extended service contracts through its in-house financial services division, as well as genuine and aftermarket parts, factory-recommended maintenance and collision-repair services.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, AutoNation was founded in 1996 by entrepreneur H.