Advisors Preferred LLC Invests $573,000 in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $573,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth $87,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $91,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at about $138,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were 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 owned 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $415.00 price objective (down previously from $435.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $470.14.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 5.1%

GPI traded up $21.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $437.34. The company had a trading volume of 267,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 168,327. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $438.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $431.13. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.28, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $326.91 and a one year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 2.27%. Group 1 Automotive's revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

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.