Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Acquired by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 616 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research 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, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $447.83.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $448.54 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $258.77 and a 12-month high of $471.28. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $431.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $388.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.59 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.12%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.