Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 80 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc reduced its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI – Get Rating) by 1.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,477 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $782,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kendall Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 4.4% during the second quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.9% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 4,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Towle & Co boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.9% during the third quarter. Towle & Co now owns 4,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 97.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $142.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Stephens increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $275.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 4.6 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $209.02 on Tuesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $136.16 and a 1-year high of $242.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $212.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 28th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 3.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.50, for a total value of $513,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 19,945 shares in the company, valued at $4,098,697.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 27,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $5,641,949.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 117,367 shares in the company, valued at $24,434,635.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Darryl M. Burman sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.50, for a total transaction of $513,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 19,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,098,697.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,600 shares of company stock worth $7,091,904 over the last quarter. Insiders own 3.80% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

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Group 1 Automotive, Inc engages in the automotive retailing industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: U.S, the UK, and Brazil. It also sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges related vehicle financing, sells service contracts, provides automotive maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts.