Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

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 13F 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 quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC increased its stake 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 period. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at $272,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $211,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.8%

Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $3.52 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $440.68. 100,208 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,269. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.99 and a beta of 0.94. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $404.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $424.46. 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 (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.49 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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 report on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $454.43.

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.