HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 19.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,047 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $37,119,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,436,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 186.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 6,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,826,000 after acquiring an additional 4,374 shares during the last quarter. Haven Private LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $258,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,608,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $394.32 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $444.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $412.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.73 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.44%.

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.