Quest Partners LLC Takes Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 2,221 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 159.6% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.63, for a total value of $412,482.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,398,557.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $306.70 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $219.25 and a 12-month high of $323.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $288.02 and a 200-day moving average of $281.79.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $9.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.52 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.30 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 22.45%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.83.

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.