Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Holdings Trimmed by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,024 shares of the company’s stock after selling 183 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc. owned 0.08% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1,616.7% during the fourth quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.3 %

GPI stock opened at $363.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $228.84 and a 52-week high of $379.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $333.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $303.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $11.73 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $343.00.

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.