848 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Purchased by Hohimer Wealth Management LLC

Hohimer Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 848 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,616.7% in the 4th quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Guggenheim raised Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.63, for a total value of $412,482.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 11,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,398,557.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 2,437 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.61, for a total value of $754,519.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 22,430 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,944,552.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,007 shares of company stock valued at $1,221,218 in the last three months. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $16.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $314.59. 149,722 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,995. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $228.84 and a twelve month high of $323.95. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $302.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $285.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.26 billion, a PE ratio of 7.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $9.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.52 by ($0.03). The business 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%. Equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.60%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.44%.

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.