Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 61,499 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,182 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $18,282,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter worth about $48,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,452.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after buying an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $368.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $228.84 and a 1 year high of $393.93. The company has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.71, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $361.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $319.31.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The business had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $11.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.18 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.80.

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.