Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Makes New $1.95 Million Investment in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 8,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,951,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ABG. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL lifted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL now owns 707,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,035,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Asbury Automotive Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $82,426,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth $82,079,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 9.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 239,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,086,000 after purchasing an additional 19,923 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Asbury Automotive Group

In other news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total value of $361,010.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. This trade represents a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.59% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of ABG stock opened at $220.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.27 and a beta of 0.98. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.68 and a fifty-two week high of $312.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $230.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $249.21.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $6.82 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.84 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $4.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.31 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 16.29% and a net margin of 2.50%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.21 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens increased their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $236.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $258.50.

Asbury Automotive Group Company Profile

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.