Victory Capital Management Inc. Has $14.60 Million Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,638 shares of the company’s stock after selling 660 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.26% of Group 1 Automotive worth $14,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the business’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $430.27 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $450.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $410.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 1.33. 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 $261.20 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

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 net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of 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 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 target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently 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.