Venturi Wealth Management LLC Purchases 315 Shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 28.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,408 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 366.1% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 189,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,233,000 after purchasing an additional 148,910 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter worth $26,573,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group in the third quarter valued at about $154,270,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group in the third quarter valued at about $14,219,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 1,990.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 18,973 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total value of $361,010.88. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. The trade was a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ABG. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Craig Hallum lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. 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. StockNews.com raised Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $288.36 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 1.20. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $202.98 and a twelve month high of $312.56. The company’s fifty day moving average is $264.56 and its 200 day moving average is $247.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 1.20 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.