Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Position Cut by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,386 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,297,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $21,608,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,653,000 after purchasing an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. 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 started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $399.90 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $262.31 and a one year high of $490.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $446.47 and a 200-day moving average of $411.47. The company has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive 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.