Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) Director B. Christopher Disantis Buys 157 Shares

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Director B. Christopher Disantis purchased 157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $182.31 per share, for a total transaction of $28,622.67. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,166,784. The trade was a 2.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

B. Christopher Disantis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, B. Christopher Disantis purchased 500 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $202.30 per share, for a total transaction of $101,150.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $187.70 on Friday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $172.01 and a 52 week high of $274.50. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.20. The firm has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of 6.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $5.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.62 by ($0.25). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.05% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ABG. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 319.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 69.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens decreased their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $277.00 to $254.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America began coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $235.00 to $220.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Asbury Automotive Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.00.

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.