Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $35.05 Million Stock Holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 545.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 143,388 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 121,183 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $35,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ABG. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $77,544,000. Eminence Capital LP boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 36.0% in the second quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 1,002,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,055,000 after buying an additional 265,539 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 122.0% in the second quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 199,952 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,413,000 after buying an additional 109,896 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 49.1% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Magnolia Group LLC raised its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 18.7% during the third quarter. Magnolia Group LLC now owns 282,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,087,000 after acquiring an additional 44,500 shares in the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $235.87 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.27 and a beta of 0.82. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.68 and a twelve month high of $309.99. The company’s fifty day moving average is $240.51 and its 200 day moving average is $239.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ABG. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $251.00 to $250.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research cut Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $230.00 price objective on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $250.43.

About Asbury Automotive Group

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.