Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Stake Lifted by Creative Planning

Creative Planning boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 55.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,873 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the period. Creative Planning’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,004,000 after buying an additional 115,143 shares during the period. Woodson Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 114.6% during the 1st quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 142,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,643,000 after purchasing an additional 76,102 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 18.1% in the 2nd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 108,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,255,000 after purchasing an additional 16,600 shares during the last quarter. Shellback Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 95,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,331,000 after purchasing an additional 20,302 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,296,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $3,419,344.58. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GPI. StockNews.com downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America dropped their price target on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $355.23 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a PE ratio of 8.77, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $362.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $321.99. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $228.84 and a 52 week high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly 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. 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 analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $11.73 EPS. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 4.64%.

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.