Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Has $374,000 Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. trimmed its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 887 shares of the company’s stock after selling 130 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,518,000 after purchasing an additional 10,969 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,253,000 after buying an additional 232,846 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

GPI stock opened at $418.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average of $446.28 and a 200-day moving average of $412.50. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $262.31 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share 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, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens restated 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average 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.