B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $3.11 Million Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 14.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,199 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned 0.06% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $295,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $21,608,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $389.34 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $440.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $414.35. The company has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GPI. Stephens reissued 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. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $450.33.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.