Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $9.81 Million Stake in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans reduced its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG - Free Report) by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,133 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,918 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.21% of Asbury Automotive Group worth $9,813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ABG. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 5,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,171,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Oak Associates Ltd. OH increased its holdings in Asbury Automotive Group by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Oak Associates Ltd. OH now owns 3,648 shares of the company's stock worth $831,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Asbury Automotive Group by 3.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 10,980 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,588,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 2.2% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 3,030 shares of the company's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ABG. Craig Hallum raised their price objective on shares of Asbury Automotive Group from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised Asbury Automotive Group from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $190.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $265.00 to $260.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Asbury Automotive Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $216.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Asbury Automotive Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $256.20.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Up 1.2 %

ABG stock traded up $3.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $261.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 184,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 183,432. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.09 and a 12 month high of $277.13. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $236.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.41. The company has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.76 and a beta of 1.16.

Asbury Automotive Group (NYSE:ABG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $6.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.58 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Asbury Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.16% and a return on equity of 16.51%. The firm's revenue was up 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.12 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. will post 25.31 EPS for the current year.

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.