Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Holdings Decreased by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $9,854,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $370,000. De Lisle Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 20,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,975,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 28.0% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,126 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 23.8% in the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,322,000 after acquiring an additional 2,678 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of GPI stock opened at $442.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $336.33 and a 1 year high of $490.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $437.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $429.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GPI shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim lowered Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Benchmark started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $479.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.