Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Buys 179 Shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,548 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $862,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,223,000. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $484,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter worth $154,270,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Asbury Automotive Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,393,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1,990.9% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 19,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,754,000 after acquiring an additional 18,973 shares during the period.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABG has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Craig Hallum upgraded shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. 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. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $255.20.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ABG opened at $302.84 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $256.13 and its 200-day moving average is $244.12. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.09 and a 52 week high of $312.56. The firm has a market cap of $5.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.08 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.20.

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.