Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Shares Bought by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG - Free Report) by 42.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,055 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,201 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 484 shares of the company's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 2,502 shares of the company's stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,856 shares of the company's stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,798 shares of the company's stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 4,023 shares of the company's stock worth $978,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ABG. Craig Hallum lowered Asbury Automotive Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens boosted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup started coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $258.50.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 0.6%

ABG traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $225.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 137,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 202,318. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.68 and a fifty-two week high of $312.56. The stock has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a PE ratio of 10.47 and a beta of 0.98. The business's 50-day moving average is $225.22 and its 200-day moving average is $248.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $6.82 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by ($0.02). Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.50% and a return on equity of 16.29%. The business had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.