Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Position Lowered by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,115 shares of the company’s stock after selling 592 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.34% of Group 1 Automotive worth $13,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the period. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 7.9% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.8 %

GPI opened at $383.04 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $358.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $317.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $228.84 and a 12 month high of $393.93.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $11.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.44%.

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.