Dynasty Wealth Management LLC Takes $453,000 Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $453,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. Norges Bank bought a new stake in AutoNation during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,748,000. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 84.4% during the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 261,940 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,338,000 after acquiring an additional 119,866 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 47.0% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 342,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,491,000 after acquiring an additional 109,571 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $9,247,000. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its position in AutoNation by 696.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 45,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,787,000 after buying an additional 39,515 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares in the company, valued at $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AN traded up $14.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $193.45. The company had a trading volume of 506,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,574. The stock has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.21. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $194.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $167.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $158.32.

AutoNation declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, April 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 14.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $184.43.

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.