Inspire Investing LLC Purchases 3,058 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 16.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,684 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,058 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC owned approximately 0.06% of AutoNation worth $4,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $913,557,000 after buying an additional 4,422,133 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,422,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,697,000 after acquiring an additional 29,697 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 11.2% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 907,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,460,000 after acquiring an additional 91,232 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 895,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,808,000 after acquiring an additional 5,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in AutoNation by 10.5% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 697,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,967,000 after acquiring an additional 66,183 shares during the period. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Trading Down 1.4%

AN opened at $188.88 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. AutoNation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $176.62 and a twelve month high of $228.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $194.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.08.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $6.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.68 earnings per share. Analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on AN shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $234.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of AutoNation from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on AutoNation from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $246.90.

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.