Legal & General Group Plc Trims Position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Legal & General Group Plc decreased its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 62,127 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,005 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.32% of Asbury Automotive Group worth $15,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in ABG. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 484 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 234.0% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 501 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 275.2% in the 4th quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 604 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 52.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 264 shares during the period.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Stephens raised their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $263.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of ABG opened at $222.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $252.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.15. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.68 and a twelve month high of $312.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total value of $361,010.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 3,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. This represents a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.