Principal Securities Inc. Has $244,000 Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Principal Securities Inc. trimmed its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 578 shares of the company’s stock after selling 94 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,286,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,805,000 after purchasing an additional 5,942 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 67.7% during the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 36,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,520,000 after purchasing an additional 14,861 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $451.10 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $258.77 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $443.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $402.40.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.44%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive 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.