Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 14,752 Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 14,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,218,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,297,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth $295,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth $3,286,000. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,899,000 after buying an additional 2,089 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE GPI opened at $387.26 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.31 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The company has a 50-day moving average of $448.95 and a 200-day moving average of $411.26. 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 company has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.54 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted 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 net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

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.