BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 1,209 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,166 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,209 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,128,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at $272,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,355 shares of the company's stock valued at $993,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $449.42 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $403.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $421.86. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $279.86 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The company has a market cap of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The company 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.45%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is 5.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Guggenheim cut their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $454.43.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GPI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.