Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue decreased its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 7,424 shares of the company’s stock after selling 44 shares during the quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $3,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Tectonic Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $522,000. Hodges Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 67.7% in the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 36,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,520,000 after purchasing an additional 14,861 shares during the period. Financial Strategies Group Inc. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 13.6% during the 4th quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 1,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $615,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 6,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,770,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $470.28 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $258.77 and a 1-year high of $489.99. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $434.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $393.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 18.25%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.86 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.12%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $447.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.