Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 900 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Prudential Financial Inc. lessened its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 28,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 900 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Group 1 Automotive worth $11,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on GPI shares. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 4.3 %

GPI opened at $376.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $262.31 and a one year high of $490.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $442.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $412.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. Equities 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.44%.

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.