Gotham Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Gotham Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 67.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 863 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,798 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $440.55 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $405.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $424.58. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $454.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.