BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 42,089 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 48.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,467 shares of the company’s stock after selling 42,089 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in AutoNation were worth $9,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AN. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $69,319,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in AutoNation by 260.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 333,975 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,064,000 after buying an additional 241,265 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 51.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 631,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,439,000 after buying an additional 215,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in AutoNation by 38.3% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 548,677 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,034,000 after buying an additional 151,966 shares in the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares in the company, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

AutoNation Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of AN stock opened at $185.78 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $196.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $202.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.74. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $176.62 and a fifty-two week high of $228.92.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.71 by ($0.02). AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on AN. Bank of America began coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group began coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on AutoNation from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $246.90.

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.