Van ECK Associates Corp Trims Stake in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its stake in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,537 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $5,477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,119 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 2.6% during the third quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock valued at $919,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 3,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Stephens lifted their target price on Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Seaport Res Ptn lowered shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $300.50 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.97 and a beta of 1.20. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $202.98 and a 12 month high of $312.56. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $262.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 0.41.

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.