NorthRock Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

NorthRock Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 5.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,121 shares of the company’s stock after selling 62 shares during the period. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $428,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GPI. FMR LLC raised its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Advent International L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,961,000 after buying an additional 80,870 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 173,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,307,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 157,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,581,000 after acquiring an additional 15,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 157,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,389,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI opened at $410.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $436.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $431.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.90. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $326.91 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the sale, the director owned 8 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $415.00 target price (down previously from $435.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $470.14.

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.