Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Stock Position Boosted by Shellback Capital LP

Shellback Capital LP lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 15.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 92,025 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,025 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive accounts for 2.7% of Shellback Capital LP’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Shellback Capital LP owned about 0.69% of Group 1 Automotive worth $38,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GPI. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,312,000 after purchasing an additional 107,663 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,075,000 after buying an additional 9,587 shares during the last quarter. Advent International L.P. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,961,000 after buying an additional 80,870 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,949,000 after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 157,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,581,000 after acquiring an additional 15,280 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $454.43.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of GPI stock opened at $439.71 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $404.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $422.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.49 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail industry in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts, as well as service and insurance contracts; arranges related vehicle financing; and offers automotive maintenance and repair services.