B. Christopher Disantis Purchases 157 Shares of Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) Stock

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Director B. Christopher Disantis bought 157 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $182.31 per share, for a total transaction of $28,622.67. Following the purchase, the director owned 6,400 shares in the company, valued at $1,166,784. This trade represents a 2.51% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

B. Christopher Disantis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, B. Christopher Disantis bought 500 shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock. The shares were purchased at an average price of $202.30 per share, for a total transaction of $101,150.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock traded up $2.32 on Friday, hitting $187.70. 108,662 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 245,482. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.94. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $172.01 and a 52 week high of $274.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $219.42.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $5.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $5.62 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $4.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.37 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.05% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.82 EPS. Research analysts expect that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $212.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Asbury Automotive Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 631.4% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 7,036 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,720,000 after buying an additional 6,074 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 1,570.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 9,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,113,000 after buying an additional 8,542 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 261.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 159,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,025,000 after buying an additional 115,504 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,104,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,906,000 after buying an additional 5,757 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 14.4% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 76,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,739,000 after buying an additional 9,632 shares during the period.

About Asbury Automotive Group

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc (NYSE:ABG) is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States. Headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, the company operates a network of franchised dealerships representing a diverse portfolio of automotive brands. Its core business activities include the sale of new and pre-owned vehicles, as well as the provision of vehicle finance, insurance and protection products to retail customers.

In addition to retail sales, Asbury offers a comprehensive suite of after-sales services, from scheduled maintenance and certified collision repair to parts distribution.