Teacher Retirement System of Texas Buys Shares of 8,370 Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:ABG) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,370 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,034,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ABG. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 351 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 52.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Asbury Automotive Group by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR bought a new stake in Asbury Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Asbury Automotive Group in the 4th quarter worth about $216,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Asbury Automotive Group

In related news, COO Daniel Clara sold 1,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 3,747 shares in the company, valued at $1,111,510.08. The trade was a 24.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Asbury Automotive Group Trading Down 4.6 %

Shares of ABG stock opened at $226.59 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $266.98 and a 200-day moving average of $250.35. 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 has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.53 and a beta of 1.22. Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.62 and a 1-year high of $312.56.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ABG. Stephens lifted their price target on Asbury Automotive Group from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Thursday. Finally, Craig Hallum cut shares of Asbury Automotive Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $263.00.

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.