Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Takes $384,000 Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd acquired 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 (SEC). The firm acquired 911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.9 %

GPI stock opened at $399.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $262.31 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company’s 50 day moving average is $446.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $411.47. The stock has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 18.09%. Research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.50%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $460.33.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.