Cynosure Group LLC Has $668,000 Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Key Points

• Cynosure Group LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 159.5%, owning 1,749 shares worth approximately $668,000 as of its latest filing.
• Several institutional investors, including PNC Financial Services Group and Mackenzie Financial Corp, raised their holdings in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Group 1 Automotive recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, with an annualized yield of 0.5% and a dividend payout ratio of 5.51%.

Cynosure Group LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 159.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,749 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the quarter. Cynosure Group LLC's holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth approximately $87,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth approximately $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of GPI traded up $5.92 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $421.19. The stock had a trading volume of 119,902 shares, compared to its average volume of 184,501. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $336.33 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $435.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $429.67. The firm has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $471.57.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the sale, the director owned 8 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.