Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases 326 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 28.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,484 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,923,000. Woodson Capital Management LP raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 114.6% in the first quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 142,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,643,000 after buying an additional 76,102 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 18.1% in the second quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 108,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,255,000 after buying an additional 16,600 shares during the last quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC now owns 84,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,893,000 after acquiring an additional 33,901 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,296,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on GPI. Bank of America reduced 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 research report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $367.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

GPI opened at $382.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $228.84 and a 52-week high of $393.93. The firm has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.33. The business’s fifty day moving average is $349.33 and its 200-day moving average is $311.38.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $11.73 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 4.44%.

Group 1 Automotive 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.