Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New $6.22 Million Investment in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 14,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,218,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC owned about 0.11% of Group 1 Automotive at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 2,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,298 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,521,000 after buying an additional 2,616 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 405 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $387.26 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $448.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $411.26. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.31 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. Equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.