Vanguard Group Inc. Has $541.44 Million Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,417,565 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,705 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.96% of Group 1 Automotive worth $541,439,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $87,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Archer Investment Corp acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This trade represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The sale 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 on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares in the company, 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. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Guggenheim cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $485.00 target price on Group 1 Automotive and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $479.43.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $451.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $437.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $429.81. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $336.33 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.51%.

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.