Russell Investments Group Ltd. Cuts Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI – Get Rating) by 49.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,610 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,160 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.11% of Group 1 Automotive worth $2,995,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 81.3% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 181.7% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 123.7% during the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.71% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.67, for a total value of $344,505.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 13,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,067,242.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.5 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $220.68 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $218.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $205.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.47. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $136.16 and a 52 week high of $242.68.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $10.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.70 by $1.23. The business had revenue of $4.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 31.16% and a net margin of 4.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $10.81 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.94 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 31st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.89%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Stephens raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $275.00 to $290.00 in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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Group 1 Automotive, Inc engages in the automotive retailing industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: U.S, the UK, and Brazil. It also sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges related vehicle financing, sells service contracts, provides automotive maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts.