Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 73,106 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 872,749 shares of the company's stock after selling 73,106 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 6.55% of Group 1 Automotive worth $367,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $66,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:GPI traded down $3.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $403.66. 47,635 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,699. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $279.86 and a 1 year high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.95 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50-day moving average price is $414.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $415.75. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. Analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

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.