Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 8,029 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,951,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC raised its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 94.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 38,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,220,000 after purchasing an additional 18,821 shares during the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 16.3% in the 4th quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 15,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,755,000 after purchasing an additional 2,164 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Asbury Automotive Group in the 4th quarter valued at $484,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 839 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 3,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $862,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Asbury Automotive Group

In other news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total transaction of $361,010.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. This represents a 24.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup started coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $236.00 target price for the company. Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stephens raised their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $258.50.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of ABG traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $224.99. The company had a trading volume of 88,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 203,588. The stock has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.68 and a 1-year high of $312.56. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $227.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $249.06.

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

Asbury Automotive Group Profile

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.