EMC Capital Management Sells 1,137 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

EMC Capital Management lowered its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 73.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 415 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,137 shares during the quarter. EMC Capital Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GPI. Inspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,441 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,066,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.6% in the second quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 21,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,327,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,781,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 40.1% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,449 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,253,000 after buying an additional 2,132 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 4.7% during the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 3,254 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. Barclays started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $478.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total transaction of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. This represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $393.02 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $355.91 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $426.68 and a 200 day moving average of $435.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.64 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $5.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.67 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 7.00%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.