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

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $232.00.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ABG. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $235.00 to $220.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings cut Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Asbury Automotive Group

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $182.31 per share, with a total value of $28,622.67. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,166,784. The trade was a 2.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.75% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of ABG opened at $199.29 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $215.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a PE ratio of 7.05, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.74. Asbury Automotive Group has a 1 year low of $172.01 and a 1 year high of $274.50.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $5.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.62 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.37 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.05% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.82 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group will post 25.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.