Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) Director B. Christopher Disantis Buys 500 Shares of Stock

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $202.30 per share, for a total transaction of $101,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,420. This trade represents a 10.20% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:ABG traded down $1.07 during trading on Thursday, hitting $198.45. 47,143 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 209,907. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.91 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $230.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $236.71. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $195.17 and a 1-year high of $274.50.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $6.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.70 by ($0.03). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 14.51%. The business had revenue of $4.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ABG shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Monday, December 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $250.00 to $230.00 and set a “reduce” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Asbury Automotive Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $247.57.

Institutional Trading of Asbury Automotive Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth $77,963,000. Eminence Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 36.0% during the 2nd quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 1,002,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,055,000 after buying an additional 265,539 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 106.5% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 296,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,842,000 after buying an additional 152,669 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Asbury Automotive Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,684,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 261.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,025,000 after buying an additional 115,504 shares during the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Company Profile

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc (NYSE:ABG) is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, the company operates a network of franchised dealerships representing a diverse portfolio of automotive brands. Its core business activities include the sale of new and pre-owned vehicles, as well as the provision of vehicle finance, insurance and protection products to retail customers.

In addition to retail sales, Asbury offers a comprehensive suite of after-sales services, from scheduled maintenance and certified collision repair to parts distribution.