Prosperitas Financial LLC Makes New $4.08 Million Investment in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Prosperitas Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 21,981 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,084,000. AutoNation makes up approximately 1.3% of Prosperitas Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,960,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,668 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,049,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in AutoNation by 13.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 519 shares of the company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Up 0.8%

AN opened at $200.35 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $201.30 and a 200-day moving average of $197.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. The business 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 revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.26 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, Director Lisa Lutoff-Perlo sold 900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $198,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,989 shares in the company, valued at $1,757,580. This trade represents a 10.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on AN. Northcoast Research upgraded AutoNation from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $240.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $235.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of AutoNation from $220.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $255.00 target price on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AutoNation has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.