Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Purchases Shares of 908 Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC bought a new position in Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at about $804,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,223,000. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the fourth quarter valued at $484,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Asbury Automotive Group in the third quarter worth $154,270,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter worth $2,393,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABG has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $310.00 to $305.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Asbury Automotive Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $255.20.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

NYSE:ABG opened at $304.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.09 and a 1 year high of $312.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $253.45 and a 200-day moving average of $242.95.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $6.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.58 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $4.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.16% and a return on equity of 16.51%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.12 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.