700 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Purchased by Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,286,000. Raymond James & Associates increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,805,000 after acquiring an additional 5,942 shares during the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,899,000 after acquiring an additional 2,089 shares during the period. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 67.7% in the 4th quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 36,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,520,000 after purchasing an additional 14,861 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $451.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $258.77 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The business’s fifty day moving average is $443.68 and its 200 day moving average is $401.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $460.33.

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.