Royce & Associates LP Has $13.91 Million Stock Holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG

Royce & Associates LP lessened its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 59,823 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,550 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $13,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 631.4% in the third 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. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1,570.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,000 after buying an additional 8,542 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 261.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,025,000 after buying an additional 115,504 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,104,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,906,000 after buying an additional 5,757 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 14.4% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 76,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,739,000 after buying an additional 9,632 shares during the period.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $194.02 on Thursday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $172.01 and a fifty-two week high of $274.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $195.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.29.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group began coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $202.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut 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 began coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Asbury Automotive Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Asbury Automotive Group

In related news, Director B. Christopher Disantis purchased 157 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $182.31 per share, with a total value of $28,622.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,166,784. This represents a 2.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.