Citigroup Inc. Has $11.49 Million Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Citigroup Inc. decreased its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,094 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,370 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. owned about 0.23% of Group 1 Automotive worth $11,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $87,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $451.19 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day moving average of $437.36 and a 200-day moving average of $429.81. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $336.33 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.51%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343.84. The trade was a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Benchmark initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $479.43.

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.