Shelton Capital Management Decreases Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Shelton Capital Management lowered its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 511 shares of the company’s stock after selling 74 shares during the quarter. Shelton Capital Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GPI. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $403.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $428.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $414.69. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share 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. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. 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 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.