Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Position Raised by Amundi

Amundi raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 186.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,717 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,374 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.05% of Group 1 Automotive worth $2,826,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,297,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $295,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at about $3,286,000. Finally, Haven Private LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $258,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of 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. lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $387.26 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $448.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $411.26. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 1.33.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.52%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

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.