Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Sold by Advent International L.P.

Advent International L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 14.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,752 shares of the company’s stock after selling 20,208 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive makes up about 0.9% of Advent International L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Advent International L.P. owned approximately 0.99% of Group 1 Automotive worth $38,932,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 366,770.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,431,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,002,195,000 after acquiring an additional 25,424,532 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 688,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,612,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 505,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,659,000 after purchasing an additional 7,418 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,125,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 151,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,616,000 after buying an additional 7,501 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.1%

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $331.14 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 12.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $312.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $333.48. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $279.10 and a 52 week high of $488.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.82 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $10.17 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 8.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price target on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Evercore set a $440.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $426.89.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.