Analysts Set Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Price Target at $233.12

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $249.5714.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ABG shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Friday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $235.00 to $220.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $250.00 target price on Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling at Asbury Automotive Group

In other news, Director B. Christopher Disantis acquired 157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was acquired 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 owned 6,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,166,784. This represents a 2.51% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jed Milstein sold 948 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 11,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,817,902.52. This trade represents a 7.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.75% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 319.2% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $231.40 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. Asbury Automotive Group has a 1 year low of $172.01 and a 1 year high of $263.38. The company has a market cap of $4.31 billion, a PE ratio of 8.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $206.23 and its 200 day moving average is $209.49.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $6.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.31 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $4.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.49 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.83% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $7.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group will post 26.39 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.