Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $264.00.

ABG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st.

Insider Transactions at Asbury Automotive Group

In related news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total transaction of $361,010.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. This trade represents a 24.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,108,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,322,000 after acquiring an additional 9,688 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 801,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,204,000 after acquiring an additional 3,672 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 787,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,453,000 after acquiring an additional 107,317 shares in the last quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL now owns 707,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,035,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at $82,426,000.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Down 3.8 %

ABG opened at $276.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Asbury Automotive Group has a 1-year low of $202.98 and a 1-year high of $312.56. The company has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $265.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $248.08.

Asbury Automotive Group Company Profile

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and vehicle repair and maintenance services, replacement parts, and collision repair services.