Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Purchased by EULAV Asset Management

EULAV Asset Management raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 43.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 24,215 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,300 shares during the quarter. EULAV Asset Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $9,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $887,000. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth about $452,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,037,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,004,000 after acquiring an additional 115,143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.3% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 40,541 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,052,000 after buying an additional 3,095 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.2 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $401.26 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $255.73 and a 12-month high of $422.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.69 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $373.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $340.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $12.07 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.