14,752 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Acquired by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,218,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised 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 objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.9 %

GPI stock opened at $450.94 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $258.77 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $447.53 and its 200 day moving average is $406.44.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio 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.