Janus Henderson Group PLC Grows Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 3.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,329 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned about 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $4,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Arosa Capital Management LP bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $996,000. Atom Investors LP purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth about $304,000. Paloma Partners Management Co bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $415,000. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after purchasing an additional 53,811 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $424.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $389.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.88. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $255.73 and a 52-week high of $440.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $12.07 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 5.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPI has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $425.20.

Group 1 Automotive 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.