Stephens Inc. AR Raises Holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Stephens Inc. AR lifted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 22.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,070 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,108,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,322,000 after purchasing an additional 9,688 shares during the period. Eminence Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 15.8% during the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 787,775 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,453,000 after purchasing an additional 107,317 shares in the last quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL raised its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL now owns 707,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,035,000 after purchasing an additional 3,490 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,079,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 239,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,086,000 after acquiring an additional 19,923 shares during the period.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $229.67 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.93, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.96. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.68 and a 1-year high of $312.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.25. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $239.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $245.08.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $6.82 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.84 by ($0.02). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.42% and a return on equity of 15.41%. The firm had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $235.00 to $225.00 in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $259.33.

About Asbury Automotive Group

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an automotive retailer in the United States. It offers a range of automotive products and services, including new and used vehicles; and vehicle repair and maintenance services, replacement parts, and collision repair services.