River Road Asset Management LLC Sells 3,989 Shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

River Road Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 49,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,989 shares during the quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $12,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at $26,573,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $14,219,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $5,316,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1,990.9% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,754,000 after purchasing an additional 18,973 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 94.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 38,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,220,000 after acquiring an additional 18,821 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the business’s 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 owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at $1,111,510.08. The trade was a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on ABG. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $247.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 1.22. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $202.98 and a 12-month high of $312.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $268.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $250.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

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.