AutoNation, Inc. $AN Shares Acquired by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its AutoNation stake by 4.0% in the first quarter, buying 56,641 additional shares and bringing its holding to 1,478,991 shares worth about $288.8 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or initiated positions, and institutions now own 94.62% of AutoNation’s stock, highlighting strong institutional interest in the company.
• Analysts remain constructive overall: multiple firms raised or maintained bullish targets, and the stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $246.18, though AutoNation’s latest quarter missed EPS and revenue estimates.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in AutoNation, Inc. (NYSE:AN - Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,478,991 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 56,641 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 4.42% of AutoNation worth $288,784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AN. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AutoNation by 27.1% during the fourth quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 57,269 shares of the company's stock worth $11,825,000 after purchasing an additional 12,210 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in AutoNation by 180.1% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 13,206 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,727,000 after purchasing an additional 8,491 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in AutoNation during the 4th quarter worth about $6,443,000. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,247,000. Finally, Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AutoNation during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,077,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.62% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at AutoNation

In other news, CAO Kimberly Dees sold 2,500 shares of AutoNation stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.91, for a total value of $512,275.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,456 shares of the company's stock, valued at $298,348.96. The trade was a 63.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on AN. Barclays raised their target price on AutoNation from $255.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Northcoast Research raised AutoNation from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $240.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on AutoNation from $208.00 to $202.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of AutoNation in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of AutoNation from $269.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $246.18.

AutoNation Price Performance

AutoNation stock opened at $206.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.62, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.75. AutoNation, Inc. has a 1 year low of $176.62 and a 1 year high of $228.92. The company's fifty day moving average price is $191.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.24.

AutoNation (NYSE:AN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The company reported $4.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.71 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.65 billion. AutoNation had a return on equity of 31.45% and a net margin of 2.47%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.68 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AutoNation, Inc. will post 21.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AutoNation Profile

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.

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