Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) Stock Price

Posted by Stuart Ham on Oct 7th, 2026

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG – Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $230.00 to $184.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 8.59% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $250.00 target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $190.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup upped their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $212.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Friday, July 24th. 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.50.

Get Our Latest Report on ABG

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Down 1.4%

ABG stock opened at $169.44 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.34, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.78. Asbury Automotive Group has a twelve month low of $167.30 and a twelve month high of $258.74. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $204.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $201.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $6.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.31 by $0.51. Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 12.72% and a net margin of 2.83%.The firm had revenue of $4.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group will post 26.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jed Milstein sold 948 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.28, for a total transaction of $237,265.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,817,902.52. The trade was a 7.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Asbury Automotive Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $450,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Abel Hall LLC raised its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 1,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 263.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 178 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 4,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Asbury Automotive Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Asbury Automotive Group this week:

Positive Sentiment: Seaport upgraded ABG to “Buy,” providing a constructive counterpoint to the recent target reductions. Seaport upgrades Asbury Automotive Group stock to Buy
Neutral Sentiment: Asbury Automotive Group scheduled the release of its third-quarter 2026 financial results. The report could provide a near-term catalyst by clarifying vehicle demand, dealership profitability and management’s outlook. Asbury Automotive Group Schedules Release of Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target from $190 to $185 and assigned an “Underweight” rating. While the target remains above the current share price, the rating signals expectations for relative underperformance.
Negative Sentiment: Barclays reduced its target from $265 to $230 and maintained an “Equal Weight” rating, indicating less confidence in Asbury’s potential upside than previously. Barclays Cuts Asbury Automotive Group Price Target
Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its target sharply from $230 to $184 while keeping an “Equal Weight” rating. The successive reductions suggest analysts are lowering forecasts for the automotive retail environment, earnings growth or valuation. Morgan Stanley Has Lowered Expectations for Asbury Automotive Group Stock Price

About Asbury Automotive Group

(Get Free Report)

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc is a U.S.-based automotive retailer that operates franchised dealerships representing a range of domestic and international vehicle manufacturers. The company sells new and used cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles, and provides related financing and insurance products.

In addition to vehicle sales, Asbury’s dealerships offer automotive maintenance and repair, replacement parts, collision repair and other after-sales services. The company also operates Clicklane, a digital retail platform designed to support online vehicle purchasing, financing and trade-ins.

Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, Asbury serves customers through dealership locations across multiple U.S.