State of Wyoming Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

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

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter worth $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 33.0% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 306 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.4%

AN stock opened at $209.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a PE ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $199.73 and its 200 day moving average is $198.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a one year low of $176.62 and a one year high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 31.24%. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In related news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at $1,757,580. The trade was a 10.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on AN. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of AutoNation from $287.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Argus lifted their price objective on AutoNation from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Stephens boosted their price objective on AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on AutoNation from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on AutoNation from $202.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $250.00.

AutoNation Company 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.