Advent International L.P. Purchases 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 the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 203,951 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive makes up about 2.0% of Advent International L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Advent International L.P. owned about 1.53% of Group 1 Automotive worth $85,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company's stock worth $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% in the fourth quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,986,000 after purchasing an additional 13,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $295,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI traded up $6.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $417.25. 31,795 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 142,646. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $405.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $418.89. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS 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 issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.61%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on GPI shares. Guggenheim dropped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on 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 reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.86.

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.