Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Has $67.96 Million Stake in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 329,118 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,825 shares during the quarter. AutoNation makes up about 0.7% of Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $67,956,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AN. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,460,000 after buying an additional 91,232 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of AN stock opened at $184.13 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $202.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.25 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The company has a market capitalization of $6.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.79.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued 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 company had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.24 EPS for the current year.

Key AutoNation News

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoNation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several of its future earnings estimates for AutoNation, including FY2027 EPS to $24.23 from $23.17 and multiple 2026-2027 quarterly forecasts, signaling stronger expected profitability ahead.
• Positive Sentiment: The company continues to carry a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from brokerages, suggesting Wall Street remains broadly constructive on AutoNation (AN).
• Positive Sentiment: AutoNation also received some positive public-relations attention after partnering with Habitat for Humanity on a Florida homeownership effort, which may help brand sentiment but is unlikely to move the stock materially.
• Neutral Sentiment: Some Zacks estimates were only modestly changed, while FY2028 EPS was trimmed to $26.37 from $26.94, making the overall analyst picture mixed rather than uniformly bullish.
• Negative Sentiment: AutoNation’s most recent earnings report missed consensus on both EPS and revenue, and quarterly sales fell year over year, which remains a headwind for investor sentiment.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AN. Bank of America began coverage on AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings raised AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on AutoNation from $207.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $248.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.