Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Acquired by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 498 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GPI shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.6 %

GPI opened at $470.35 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $258.77 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $442.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $400.24. The firm has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%. On average, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.