Swiss National Bank Cuts Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,300 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $11,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim upped their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $395.69 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $446.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $411.31. 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.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

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.