Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Bought by Pathstone Holdings LLC

Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,180 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,089 shares during the quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $3,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% during the second 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. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $421.14 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $377.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $342.27. The company has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.22 and a beta of 1.33. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $255.73 and a one year high of $422.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted 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. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $12.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GPI shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $425.20.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.