Kentucky Retirement Systems Invests $1.04 Million in AutoNation, Inc. $AN

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 1st, 2026

Kentucky Retirement Systems purchased a new stake in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN – Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in AutoNation by 37.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in shares of AutoNation in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in AutoNation by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in AutoNation during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 1,456 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,348.96. This represents a 63.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting AutoNation

Here are the key news stories impacting AutoNation this week:

Positive Sentiment: Adjusted second-quarter EPS rose to $5.56, exceeding the roughly $5.43–$5.48 analyst consensus. Net income increased 111% year over year to $182.1 million, helped by improved profitability. Revenue Miss, EV Sales Slump Send AutoNation Stock Lower
Positive Sentiment: After-sales produced a record gross profit, customer-pay revenue grew 7%, and Customer Financial Services gross profit per unit increased 3%, demonstrating resilience in AutoNation’s higher-margin operations. The company also repurchased $457 million of stock during the first half and acquired four dealerships representing approximately $600 million in annual revenue. AutoNation Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: Management expects adjusted EPS growth in the second half and is targeting SG&A at 66% to 67% of gross profit by year-end, signaling a focus on operating leverage and expense discipline. AutoNation outlines SG&A target and second-half EPS growth
Neutral Sentiment: AutoNation’s luxury-vehicle strategy is accelerating. While this could improve margins and mix over time, it also increases investor attention on demand trends in a more cyclical and potentially softer market. AutoNation beats on profit but misses revenue as luxury pivot accelerates
Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined approximately 1% year over year to $6.93 billion, below the roughly $7 billion consensus. Lower new-vehicle sales and a slump in electric-vehicle sales reinforced concerns about softer dealership demand and ongoing macroeconomic pressure. AutoNation Revenue Falls on Lower New-Vehicle Sales

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AN shares. UBS Group began coverage on shares of AutoNation in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $234.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of AutoNation in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $246.18.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on AN

AutoNation Stock Down 0.7%

AN stock opened at $213.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62. The company’s 50 day moving average is $195.64 and its 200 day moving average is $198.49. The stock has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.75. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1-year low of $176.62 and a 1-year high of $235.81.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The company reported $5.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.48 by $0.08. AutoNation had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 31.45%. The business had revenue of $6.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.26 earnings per share. AutoNation’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.