928 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Bought by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 928 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $391,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $65,721,000. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,312,000 after purchasing an additional 107,663 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,949,000 after purchasing an additional 84,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $21,608,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $392.50 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.32 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $420.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $415.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive 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.