The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $3.47 Million Position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its holdings in shares of AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,688 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of AutoNation worth $3,474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. 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 valued at $255,910,000 after purchasing an additional 41,712 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of AutoNation in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $170,270,000. LSV Asset Management grew its stake in shares of AutoNation by 0.6% in the second quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 781,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $124,607,000 after buying an additional 4,350 shares in the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in AutoNation by 1.8% during the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 267,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,317,000 after buying an additional 4,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eminence Capital LP raised its position in AutoNation by 84.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.62% of the company’s stock.

AutoNation Stock Down 3.1 %

AN opened at $166.00 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $172.76 and a 200-day moving average of $167.51. The company has a market capitalization of $6.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.19. AutoNation, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $123.81 and a fifty-two week high of $197.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.78.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). AutoNation had a return on equity of 36.50% and a net margin of 2.93%. The business had revenue of $6.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.29 EPS. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that AutoNation, Inc. will post 17.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 3,980,467 shares in the company, valued at $685,794,659.43. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other AutoNation news, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 23,703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 $685,794,659.43. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward S. Lampert sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $683,777,090.07. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 216,959 shares of company stock worth $39,346,744. Corporate insiders own 0.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on AN shares. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $210.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on AutoNation from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on AutoNation from $164.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on AutoNation from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of AutoNation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $145.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AutoNation presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $201.75.

AutoNation Company Profile

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.