HighTower Advisors LLC Has $437,000 Holdings in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,798 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ABG. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 234.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $122,000 after buying an additional 351 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 52.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 769 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Asbury Automotive Group by 17.2% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 839 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ABG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $290.00 to $250.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $263.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,111,510.08. This trade represents a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Asbury Automotive Group Price Performance

Asbury Automotive Group stock opened at $217.75 on Monday. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.62 and a 52 week high of $312.56. The firm has a market cap of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.12 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 1.20. The business’s fifty day moving average is $266.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $250.55.

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.