Cetera Investment Advisers Raises Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 6.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,153 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,235,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 14.0% in the first quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 91,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,856,000 after purchasing an additional 11,300 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth $887,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 15.2% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,927 shares during the period. PAX Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth approximately $650,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $1,305,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 value 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $366.44 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $363.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $323.37. The company has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 8.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $228.84 and a one year high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.73 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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