Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.55 EPS

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG - Get Free Report) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $7.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.76 by ($0.55), Yahoo Finance reports. Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 20.37% and a net margin of 3.68%. The company had revenue of $4.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.37 EPS. Asbury Automotive Group's revenue was up 17.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE ABG traded down $3.29 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $218.68. 142,021 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 166,650. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50 day moving average price is $216.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $213.19. Asbury Automotive Group has a 12 month low of $178.40 and a 12 month high of $256.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jed Milstein sold 3,955 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.00, for a total transaction of $826,595.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,734,700. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Craig Hallum lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $230.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, February 8th.

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.