Edgestream Partners L.P. Invests $1.59 Million in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,160 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,590,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Amundi acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 255.3% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 11.9% during the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 469 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dupont Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth about $198,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 2,259 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.96, for a total value of $598,544.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 19,355 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,128,300.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $283.66 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $252.69. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $159.87 and a 52-week high of $293.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.23 and a beta of 1.42.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The company reported $12.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.48 by $0.59. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 26.41%. The company had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $12.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 45.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 1st will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 30th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $134.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 3rd. Benchmark increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $300.00 to $340.00 in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $305.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st.

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.