LRT Capital Management LLC Has $4.68 Million Stock Holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG

LRT Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 39.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,124 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,404 shares during the period. Asbury Automotive Group accounts for 3.1% of LRT Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. LRT Capital Management LLC owned about 0.10% of Asbury Automotive Group worth $4,675,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Magnolia Group LLC raised its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Magnolia Group LLC now owns 282,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,087,000 after purchasing an additional 44,500 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 631.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 7,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,720,000 after buying an additional 6,074 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 76,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,739,000 after buying an additional 9,632 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of 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. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 545.7% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 143,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,051,000 after buying an additional 121,183 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, Director B. Christopher Disantis purchased 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $202.30 per share, with a total value of $101,150.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 5,400 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,420. This represents a 10.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $191.15 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $228.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $235.29. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $189.91 and a 1-year high of $274.50. 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 company has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.62 and a beta of 0.81.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $6.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.26 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current year.

Asbury Automotive Group 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.