Park Avenue Securities LLC Has $633,000 Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,165 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $633,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on GPI. Guggenheim raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.83.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.92, for a total value of $54,216.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,939,671.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.63, for a total value of $412,482.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,398,557.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.92, for a total value of $54,216.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,082 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,939,671.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,007 shares of company stock worth $1,221,218. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $293.93 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 6.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.04. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $228.84 and a 52-week high of $323.95. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $302.71 and a 200-day moving average of $286.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $9.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.52 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $4.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.30 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 22.45% and a net margin of 3.23%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.86 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.