Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Purchases 1,043 Shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,375 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,043 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned approximately 0.08% of AutoNation worth $5,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new stake in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,041,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in AutoNation by 2.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,910,000 after purchasing an additional 41,712 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in AutoNation during the second quarter valued at approximately $15,832,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of AutoNation by 25.1% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,700,000 after purchasing an additional 5,917 shares during the period. Finally, Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA lifted its stake in shares of AutoNation by 60.7% in the second quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA now owns 2,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AutoNation Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of AutoNation stock opened at $174.39 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $172.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.20. AutoNation, Inc. has a 52-week low of $123.81 and a 52-week high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The company reported $3.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.31 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $6.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.72 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.29 EPS. On average, analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total transaction of $4,083,789.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.29, for a total value of $4,083,789.87. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $176.21, for a total transaction of $17,621,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 3,880,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 216,959 shares of company stock valued at $39,346,744 in the last 90 days. 0.74% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AN. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of AutoNation from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens began coverage on AutoNation in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.25.

About AutoNation

AutoNation, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import, and Premium Luxury. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and parts and services, such as automotive repair and maintenance, and wholesale parts and collision services.