Natixis Advisors LLC Has $48.32 Million Stock Position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 207,820 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,843 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $48,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 319.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 52.4% during the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 76.0% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 69.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 132 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ABG opened at $187.27 on Thursday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $172.01 and a 1 year high of $274.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $217.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.74.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $5.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.62 by ($0.25). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.05% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company had revenue of $4.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.82 earnings per share. Asbury Automotive Group’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.68 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director B. Christopher Disantis purchased 157 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $182.31 per share, with a total value of $28,622.67. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 6,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,166,784. This trade represents a 2.51% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ABG shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $202.00 target price on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $220.00 target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $232.00.

Asbury Automotive Group 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.