Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Grows Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 69.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 990 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 405 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,119,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $21,608,000. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth $11,838,000. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 67.7% during the fourth quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 36,821 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,520,000 after buying an additional 14,861 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $380.26 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $436.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $414.54. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $262.31 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. Analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

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.