Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG Shares Acquired by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 106.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 296,057 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 152,669 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $68,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 98.4% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 1,690 shares of the company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 164.8% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 21,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,935,000 after purchasing an additional 13,208 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 9,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,277,000 after purchasing an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

NYSE ABG opened at $179.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $198.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.10. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $179.12 and a 1 year high of $274.50. The company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.35, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.78.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last released its earnings results 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). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.05% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The firm had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $6.82 earnings per share. Asbury Automotive Group’s revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 5,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,092,420. The trade was a 10.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays upped their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Stephens reduced their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $277.00 to $254.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.00.

About Asbury Automotive Group

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.