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

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 10% in Q4, ending with 207,820 shares valued at about $48.3 million, or 1.07% of the company.
• Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 500 shares at $202.30 each, boosting his ownership by 10.2% and bringing his total holdings to 5,400 shares.
• Analysts remain cautious overall: the stock carries a Hold consensus rating with an average target price of $232, while the company’s latest quarterly results missed EPS and revenue estimates.

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG - Free Report) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 207,820 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,843 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 1.07% of Asbury Automotive Group worth $48,324,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 319.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 52.4% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 128 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 69.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 132 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 76.0% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 132 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Asbury Automotive Group

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, Director B. Christopher Disantis purchased 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $202.30 per share, for a total transaction of $101,150.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 5,400 shares in the company, valued at $1,092,420. This trade represents a 10.20% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.75% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABG has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $235.00 to $220.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays upped their price objective 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 price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $232.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Down 1.4%

Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $187.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.49 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 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. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $195.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $217.08. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $172.01 and a twelve month high of $274.50.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 3.05%.The business had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.82 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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