7,666 Shares in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG Bought by GSA Capital Partners LLP

GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 7,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,541,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ABG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the fourth quarter worth about $77,963,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 106.5% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 296,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,842,000 after acquiring an additional 152,669 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,684,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 278,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,561,000 after acquiring an additional 91,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, J. Goldman & Co LP bought a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $12,761,000.

Insider Activity at Asbury Automotive Group

In related news, Director B. Christopher Disantis acquired 157 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $182.31 per share, for a total transaction of $28,622.67. Following the acquisition, the director owned 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $1,166,784. This trade represents a 2.51% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jed Milstein sold 948 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.28, for a total transaction of $237,265.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,817,902.52. The trade was a 7.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on ABG shares. UBS Group set a $250.00 target price on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $190.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $246.71.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

NYSE ABG opened at $210.38 on Monday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $172.01 and a twelve month high of $263.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 7.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.01.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $6.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.31 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $4.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.49 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.43 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.43 EPS for the current 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.