State of Wyoming Purchases New Shares in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

State of Wyoming purchased a new position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 6,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,122,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 192,434.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,424,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $913,557,000 after purchasing an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of AutoNation by 4.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,478,991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,784,000 after purchasing an additional 56,641 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $198,460,000 after purchasing an additional 91,232 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 895,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,808,000 after purchasing an additional 5,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,967,000 after purchasing an additional 66,183 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AN opened at $209.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $199.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.71. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52 week low of $176.62 and a 52 week high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.26 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on AutoNation from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Northcoast Research upgraded AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $250.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,757,580. This represents a 10.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Profile

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.