Tectonic Advisors LLC Acquires New Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Tectonic Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,518,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,253,000 after acquiring an additional 232,846 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.1% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,576,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 3.1 %

GPI opened at $472.42 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $258.77 and a 1 year high of $474.86. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $433.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $390.55.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.25%. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.59 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on GPI. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $447.83.

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.