Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Short Interest Update

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) saw a significant decrease in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,760,000 shares, a decrease of 12.9% from the January 15th total of 2,020,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 184,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.5 days. Approximately 9.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 0.9 %

ABG traded down $2.87 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $300.50. 117,070 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 205,815. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.97 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $262.24 and its 200 day moving average is $246.58. Asbury Automotive Group has a 12 month low of $202.98 and a 12 month high of $312.56.

Institutional Trading of Asbury Automotive Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,108,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,322,000 after acquiring an additional 9,688 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 801,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,204,000 after acquiring an additional 3,672 shares during the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 787,775 shares of the company’s stock valued at $191,453,000 after acquiring an additional 107,317 shares during the last quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Timucuan Asset Management Inc. FL now owns 707,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,035,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at $82,426,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Craig Hallum upgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Company 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.