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

River Road Asset Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,989 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 0.26% of Asbury Automotive Group worth $12,145,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of ABG. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 10.6% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,760 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,157,000 after buying an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Evergreen Private Wealth LLC now owns 16,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,040,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,316,000. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 211,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,465,000 after acquiring an additional 3,273 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

ABG opened at $247.09 on Wednesday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $202.98 and a 1 year high of $312.56. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $268.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $250.78. The firm has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 11.49 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on ABG. 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Craig Hallum cut shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Six equities research 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 a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group 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.