De Lisle Partners LLP Buys 2,500 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Key Points

• De Lisle Partners LLP increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 13.6%, acquiring an additional 2,500 shares, bringing its total to 20,900 shares.
• The CFO of Group 1 Automotive, Daniel James Mchenry, sold 3,000 shares for over $1.3 million, leading to a 15.25% decrease in his ownership stake.
• Group 1 Automotive recently reported a 21.4% revenue increase year-over-year, with quarterly earnings surpassing analyst expectations at $11.52 per share.

De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 13.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,900 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive accounts for 1.3% of De Lisle Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. De Lisle Partners LLP owned 0.16% of Group 1 Automotive worth $7,975,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 28.0% in the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,126 shares of the company's stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 23.8% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 13,933 shares of the company's stock worth $5,322,000 after buying an additional 2,678 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth $905,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,514 shares of the company's stock worth $1,342,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Convergence Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth $1,075,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of GPI stock opened at $425.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $437.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $431.43. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $326.91 and a 1-year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.82 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $415.00 target price (down previously from $435.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $470.14.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GPI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.