Benjamin Edwards Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 7.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,441 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $608,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GPI. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,312,000 after buying an additional 107,663 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,075,000 after purchasing an additional 9,587 shares in the last quarter. Advent International L.P. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 80,870 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position 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 valued at $66,581,000 after purchasing an additional 15,280 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $430.20 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 $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $403.90 and a 200-day moving average of $420.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued 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 return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.49 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $463.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $449.86.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was 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. This represents a 16.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.