Strs Ohio Makes New $4.85 Million Investment in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 12,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,851,000. Strs Ohio owned 0.10% of Group 1 Automotive at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 35.2% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 8,432 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,221,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195 shares during the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $115,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at about $370,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,993,000 after purchasing an additional 2,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,823,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8 shares in the company, valued at $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total value of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research cut Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $476.57.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 4.6%

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $465.64 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $447.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $429.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.86. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $344.38 and a 52 week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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