778 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Purchased by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at about $64,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $478.88.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $399.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $420.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $435.14. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $355.91 and a one year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.64 by ($0.19). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The firm had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 7.00%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.