Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Purchased by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 8.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 40,541 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,095 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $12,052,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 44.3% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $243,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 7,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,353,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 944 shares of the company’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $1,052,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on GPI shares. Bank of America decreased 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 report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.00.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $369.19 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.72, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.35. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $228.84 and a twelve month high of $373.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $320.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.97.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $11.73 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd will be given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 170 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.92, for a total value of $54,216.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,939,671.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.