Manchester Capital Management LLC Sells 99 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Manchester Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 99 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $105,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AN. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in AutoNation by 28.1% in the third quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $313,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 33.8% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,000 after buying an additional 480 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.2% during the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,100 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the third quarter valued at approximately $131,250,000. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of AN stock opened at $192.74 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.12, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s fifty day moving average is $179.72 and its 200 day moving average is $173.57. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $136.35 and a twelve month high of $198.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.71. AutoNation had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 2.74%. Research analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 16.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on AutoNation from $170.00 to $194.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on AutoNation from $190.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised AutoNation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stephens upped their price target on AutoNation from $195.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, AutoNation has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.71.

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.