Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. $ABG Shares Sold by Epoch Investment Partners Inc.

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. reduced its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 88.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 960 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,170 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ABG. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $77,963,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 106.5% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 296,057 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,842,000 after purchasing an additional 152,669 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,684,000. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 261.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,025,000 after purchasing an additional 115,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 278,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $61,561,000 after purchasing an additional 91,767 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $182.31 per share, with a total value of $28,622.67. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ABG. Morgan Stanley set a $220.00 price objective on Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $235.00 to $220.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $232.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $199.15 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $196.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $215.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a PE ratio of 7.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.94. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a one year low of $172.01 and a one year high of $274.50.

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