Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Acquired by Forum Financial Management LP

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 26.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 775 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Advent International L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 235,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,833,000 after buying an additional 31,244 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $74,499,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 180,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,973,000 after purchasing an additional 3,277 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 173,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1,287.8% in the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 102,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,544,000 after purchasing an additional 94,650 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $424.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $451.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $436.48. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.85. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $344.92 and a 1-year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.82 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total transaction of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8 shares in the company, valued at $3,343.84. The trade was a 98.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. Zacks Research downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $430.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $478.00.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

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.