Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Increases Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 13.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,779 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,192 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in AutoNation were worth $1,543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the first quarter valued at approximately $170,270,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 4th quarter worth $42,748,000. Eminence Capital LP increased its stake in shares of AutoNation by 84.4% in the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 261,940 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,338,000 after acquiring an additional 119,866 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 2nd quarter worth $15,832,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of AutoNation by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,605,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,910,000 after acquiring an additional 41,712 shares during the last quarter. 94.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

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

AutoNation Price Performance

AN stock opened at $174.39 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $172.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.82. AutoNation, Inc. has a 12-month low of $123.81 and a 12-month high of $197.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65. The company has a market capitalization of $7.02 billion, a PE ratio of 8.27, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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