AlphaQuest LLC Trims Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

AlphaQuest LLC lowered its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 77.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 422 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,422 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,518,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after purchasing an additional 232,846 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,297,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $387.26 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $448.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $411.26. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.44%.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.