Level Four Advisory Services LLC Purchases 507 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,860 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,576,000 after buying an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 59.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,949 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,253,000 after buying an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 4.3% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $376.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $262.31 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $442.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $413.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. On average, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $450.33.

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.