Advent International L.P. Buys 80,870 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Advent International L.P. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 65.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 203,951 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive makes up 2.0% of Advent International L.P.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Advent International L.P. owned about 1.53% of Group 1 Automotive worth $85,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GPI. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth approximately $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during 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 position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $416,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE GPI opened at $405.46 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $408.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $417.50. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $279.86 and a 52 week 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. The stock has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The business's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. Equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is 5.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPI. Stephens reaffirmed 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target 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. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $449.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.

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