Inspire Investing LLC Cuts Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Inspire Investing LLC lessened its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth $64,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth $87,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 8 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 3.7%

Shares of GPI opened at $488.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $339.24 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $447.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $429.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.86.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.82 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $476.57.

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.