Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Purchased by Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,281 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. FMR LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after acquiring an additional 232,846 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,949,000 after purchasing an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after purchasing an additional 53,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,608,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 4.3 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $376.32 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $262.31 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $442.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $412.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Stephens restated 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $450.33.

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.