Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Holdings Raised by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 111.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 161,216 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.21% of Group 1 Automotive worth $67,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $390.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $447.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $411.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $262.31 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim raised their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $460.33.

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.