Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) Shares Sold by O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 7,486 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Penske Automotive Group were worth $1,141,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in PAG. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Penske Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $524,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 36.9% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 39,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,426,000 after buying an additional 10,663 shares in the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,805,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $747,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 0.5% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 16,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,704,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.08% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John Barr sold 1,529 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.45, for a total transaction of $237,683.05. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Claude H. Denker III sold 8,746 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.03, for a total value of $1,513,320.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 28,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,003,508.51. This represents a 23.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 51.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Penske Automotive Group Stock Performance

Shares of PAG opened at $141.53 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.45 billion, a PE ratio of 10.29 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $160.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.13. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $136.86 and a 52 week high of $180.12.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.37 by $0.17. Penske Automotive Group had a net margin of 3.02% and a return on equity of 18.05%. The business had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.56 billion. Research analysts expect that Penske Automotive Group, Inc. will post 13.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Penske Automotive Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Penske Automotive Group from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Penske Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $166.25.

About Penske Automotive Group

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.