Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Acquired by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 436.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,620 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,945 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,058,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,923,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,562,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $21,296,000. Woodson Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 165.6% in the 4th quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 66,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,234,000 after buying an additional 41,398 shares during the period. Finally, Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 66.4% in the 4th quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC now owns 84,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,893,000 after buying an additional 33,901 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI traded up $5.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $300.27. The stock had a trading volume of 44,693 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,856. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $228.84 and a 52 week high of $323.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $302.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $285.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.00.

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.