AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 3,183 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

AQR Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 17.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,183 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.11% of Group 1 Automotive worth $4,622,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Spruce House Investment Management LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.3% in the second quarter. Spruce House Investment Management LLC now owns 29,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,770,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 38.0% in the 2nd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 923 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 80.1% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 9,168 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,725,000 after buying an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 67.8% during the 2nd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 11,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,480,000 after buying an additional 4,731 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 139.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 13,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,131,000 after acquiring an additional 7,885 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $368.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $361.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $319.68. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $228.84 and a 52 week high of $393.93. The company has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.32.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $11.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.80.

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.