Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Bought by GW&K Investment Management LLC

GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 172,321 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 357 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.29% of Group 1 Automotive worth $72,630,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $454.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.37 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a fifty day moving average of $445.94 and a 200-day moving average of $404.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $258.77 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

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.