American Century Companies Inc. Has $22.93 Million Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 12.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,267 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,061 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.72% of Group 1 Automotive worth $22,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. New Hampshire Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Amundi acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 247 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $266.60 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $136.16 and a 12 month high of $277.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $259.78 and its 200-day moving average is $236.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $3.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.75, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.46.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $11.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.08 by $0.65. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 28.33% and a net margin of 3.98%. The company had revenue of $4.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $12.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 43.8 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 31st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 3.88%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.78, for a total value of $616,950.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 13,495 shares in the company, valued at $3,330,296.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Group 1 Automotive news, CEO Daryl Kenningham sold 9,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.41, for a total transaction of $2,492,895.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 24,548 shares in the company, valued at $6,441,640.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.78, for a total value of $616,950.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 13,495 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,330,296.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 25,350 shares of company stock worth $6,405,823. Company insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on GPI. Stephens lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $295.00 to $350.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 19th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $134.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 9th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $430.00 to $445.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 31st.

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.