Profund Advisors LLC Sells 71 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Profund Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 9.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 702 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71 shares during the quarter. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 30,845 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,400,000 after purchasing an additional 5,472 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth $272,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 221.5% in the fourth quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 14,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,546,000 after acquiring an additional 10,276 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $2,203,000. Finally, RK Capital Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. RK Capital Management LLC now owns 29,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,873,000 after purchasing an additional 7,805 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $385.94 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $228.84 and a fifty-two week high of $393.93. The firm has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $356.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $316.25.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.73 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 4.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GPI. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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.