Bridgewater Associates LP Lowers Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Bridgewater Associates LP reduced its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 30.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,894 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,494 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP owned approximately 0.06% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted 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 valued at $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $392.50 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $423.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $414.71. The stock has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68 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 has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost 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 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.