Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Acquires 79 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,407 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,436,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at about $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $66,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI stock opened at $390.19 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $262.31 and a 1 year high of $490.09. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $447.84 and a 200 day moving average of $411.50. 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 results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 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.