Avior Wealth Management LLC Acquires 31 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 25.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 152 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $64,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after purchasing an additional 232,846 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 596.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 76,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,259,000 after acquiring an additional 65,414 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after acquiring an additional 53,811 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $13,117,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $449.94 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $255.73 and a 1 year high of $458.82. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $429.57 and its 200 day moving average is $385.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $5.99 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.29 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $436.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.