Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New $756,000 Investment in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased 3,422 shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. for approximately $756,000, indicating growing institutional interest.
• Analysts have mixed views on Asbury, with one upgrading the stock to a "buy" rating, while others have assigned hold and sell ratings, leading to a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $254.43.
• Asbury Automotive Group reported a strong quarterly earnings of $7.43 EPS, exceeding estimates, although revenue slightly missed expectations at $4.37 billion.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,422 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $756,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABG. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the first quarter worth about $976,000. Choreo LLC grew its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1.7% in the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 3,094 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 84.5% in the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 1,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 839 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 73.5% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,865 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,595,000 after purchasing an additional 12,648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,054,000.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ABG traded up $1.37 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $230.53. 81,586 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 205,740. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.68 and a twelve month high of $312.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $239.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.93.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $7.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.61. Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 15.41% and a net margin of 3.13%. The business had revenue of $4.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.40 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 26.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on ABG. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $225.00 to $215.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $236.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Cfra set a $225.00 target price on Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $253.00.

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.