Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Stock Position Trimmed by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. decreased its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,905 shares of the company’s stock after selling 493 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 4.3% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth about $210,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $660,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 3.8% during the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 12,329 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,724,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 424.7% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 10,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,020,000 after buying an additional 8,494 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. 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 investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $380.26 on Friday. 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 $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.31 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $436.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $414.06.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.