Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) Shares Bought by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,381 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 254 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Asbury Automotive Group were worth $2,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $985,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $919,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $804,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 6.5% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 22,617 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,197,000 after buying an additional 1,382 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Asbury Automotive Group news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.64, for a total value of $361,010.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at $1,111,510.08. This represents a 24.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Asbury Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of ABG stock opened at $276.73 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 1.20. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $202.98 and a 1-year high of $312.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $265.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $248.23.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Asbury Automotive Group from $260.00 to $255.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Asbury Automotive Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Seaport Res Ptn lowered Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Craig Hallum downgraded Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, February 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Asbury Automotive Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $264.00.

Asbury Automotive Group Company 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.