Bridgeway Capital Management LLC Sells 3,400 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lessened its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,700 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,400 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC owned 0.13% of Group 1 Automotive worth $7,460,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company's stock worth $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in 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 during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% in the 4th 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 bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $410.93 on Wednesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $405.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $418.89. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $279.86 and a 12-month 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 company has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $5.51 billion during 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%. Group 1 Automotive's revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim cut 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 report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $449.86.

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.

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