Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Grows Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,358 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.17% of Group 1 Automotive worth $9,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $74,499,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,287.8% in the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 102,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,544,000 after buying an additional 94,650 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 130.5% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 99,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,162,000 after buying an additional 56,564 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 114,096 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,503,000 after buying an additional 38,705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advent International L.P. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 15.3% during the first quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 235,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,833,000 after acquiring an additional 31,244 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $387.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 13.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $355.91 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $423.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $435.12.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $478.88.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total value of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.