928 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Purchased by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 928 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $391,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Barclays PLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock worth $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $416,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price objective 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 six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 2.1 %

NYSE GPI traded down $8.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $398.28. 36,475 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 170,788. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 10.84 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $414.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $415.75.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is 5.44%.

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.