Auto Trader Group (LON:AUTO) Share Price Passes Above 50 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Auto Trader Group shares briefly moved above their 50-day moving average, reaching GBX 519.20 before trading at GBX 512.20 on volume of about 2.31 million shares.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has an average “Reduce” rating and a consensus price target of GBX 549.50, with recent target cuts from RBC, UBS, JPMorgan and Berenberg.
• Insiders sold shares in July, including Nathan Coe’s £348,685 sale and Jamie Warner’s £161,431 sale; insiders collectively own 3.54% of the company.

Auto Trader Group plc (LON:AUTO - Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 515.26 and traded as high as GBX 519.20. Auto Trader Group shares last traded at GBX 512.20, with a volume of 2,310,190 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Auto Trader Group from GBX 830 to GBX 535 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a GBX 470 target price on shares of Auto Trader Group in a research note on Monday, May 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Auto Trader Group from GBX 445 to GBX 440 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price target on shares of Auto Trader Group from GBX 580 to GBX 510 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of GBX 549.50.

Auto Trader Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 51.83, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The stock has a market cap of £4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 515.26 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 491.97.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Auto Trader Group news, insider Nathan Coe sold 70,158 shares of Auto Trader Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 497, for a total transaction of £348,685.26. Also, insider Jamie Warner sold 32,481 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 497, for a total transaction of £161,430.57. 3.54% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Auto Trader Group

Autotrader Group plc is the UK's largest automotive marketplace and a leading digital platform for the automotive industry. Listed on the London Stock Exchange since March 2015, the company is a member of the FTSE 100 Index. Autotrader's purpose is Driving Change Together. Responsibly. The company uses advanced data science, artificial intelligence and scalable technology to improve how vehicles are bought and sold, while building stronger partnerships with its customers and the wider automotive ecosystem.

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