Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 156 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Yousif Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,307 shares of the company’s stock after selling 156 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $87,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 2.2%

GPI opened at $424.12 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $279.86 and a one year high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.91. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $418.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $427.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th. Guggenheim cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $454.43.

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.