KBC Group NV Has $260,000 Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

KBC Group NV grew its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 616 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were 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 owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $448.54 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $431.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $388.88. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $258.77 and a 1 year high of $471.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.59 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim raised their target price 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $447.83.

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.