Burney Co. Sells 3,186 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Burney Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 54,022 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,186 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive comprises approximately 0.8% of Burney Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Burney Co. owned 0.41% of Group 1 Automotive worth $22,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,996 shares of the company’s stock worth $765,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $447.51 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $420.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $373.63. The company has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $447.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $12.07 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on GPI. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $437.67.

Group 1 Automotive 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.