Brokerages Set Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Price Target at $250.57

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $250.5714.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on ABG shares. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price target on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Barclays cut their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $275.00 to $251.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Thursday, September 25th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP increased its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 319.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 69.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 64.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the first quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the first quarter valued at about $56,000.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $241.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Asbury Automotive Group has a 12 month low of $201.68 and a 12 month high of $312.56. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $234.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.71. The company has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 8.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.88.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $7.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.80 by $0.37. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 15.26%. The company had revenue of $4.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.35 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Asbury Automotive Group will post 26.28 earnings per share for the current year.

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.