Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,438 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AN. First United Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total value of $17,621,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $685,794,659.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.74% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AN. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $153.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $184.43.

AutoNation Price Performance

NYSE AN traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $177.97. 28,448 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 427,049. The stock has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 8.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.21. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $167.00 and a 200-day moving average of $158.01. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $123.81 and a one year high of $182.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The company reported $4.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.49 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 42.44% and a net margin of 3.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.05 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Friday, April 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 14.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.