4D Advisors LLC Invests $8.43 Million in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

4D Advisors LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 20,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,430,000. Group 1 Automotive makes up 5.9% of 4D Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. 4D Advisors LLC owned 0.15% of Group 1 Automotive at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in 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 on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reiterated 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. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $405.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 1.05. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $279.86 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $408.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $417.50.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.49 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. 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 dividend yield of 0.49%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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