AlphaQuest LLC Has $2.52 Million Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC nearly doubled its stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter, buying 3,157 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 6,409 shares worth about $2.52 million.
• The company reported mixed quarterly results, with earnings of $8.66 per share falling short of estimates, while revenue came in roughly in line at $5.41 billion and declined 1.8% from a year earlier.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: several analysts raised or maintained bullish ratings, and Group 1 Automotive also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share payable June 15.

AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 97.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,409 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,157 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.05% of Group 1 Automotive worth $2,521,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 366,770.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,431,464 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,002,195,000 after purchasing an additional 25,424,532 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 968.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,412 shares of the company's stock worth $36,931,000 after buying an additional 76,514 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 226,915 shares of the company's stock worth $99,278,000 after buying an additional 58,641 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 365.9% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 63,980 shares of the company's stock worth $27,992,000 after buying an additional 50,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2,053.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 51,972 shares of the company's stock worth $20,403,000 after buying an additional 49,559 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $329.22 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a PE ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $331.29 and a 200-day moving average of $360.53. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $292.44 and a one year high of $488.39.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $10.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark raised Group 1 Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $456.00.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc NYSE: GPI is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

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