3,135 Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN Acquired by Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 3,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 355.3% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted 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 period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total transaction of $512,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN opened at $191.32 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $6.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.62 and a 52 week high of $228.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $196.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $201.78.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on AN shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price target for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.