B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Buys New Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 8,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,286,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth approximately $887,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at $452,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $1,037,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,004,000 after acquiring an additional 115,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.3% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 40,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,052,000 after acquiring an additional 3,095 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $401.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 1.33. The business’s 50-day moving average is $375.10 and its 200-day moving average is $340.96. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $422.28.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $12.07 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.01%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GPI shares. Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.80.

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.