Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Decreases Stake in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,618 shares of the company’s stock after selling 765 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $5,538,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 31.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 5.0% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,434 shares of the company’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 94.0% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 161 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 93.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 186 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $222.41 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $216.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $213.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78 and a beta of 1.18. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $178.40 and a twelve month high of $256.39.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $7.12 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.74 by ($0.62). Asbury Automotive Group had a return on equity of 21.68% and a net margin of 4.07%. The business had revenue of $3.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.12 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 31.46 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $230.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, February 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jed Milstein sold 3,955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.00, for a total value of $826,595.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,734,700. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.