Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has reduced its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 12.7%, now owning approximately 5.89% of the company worth $291.11 million.
• Institutional investors currently own 99.92% of Group 1 Automotive's stock, demonstrating significant interest from hedge funds.
• Group 1 Automotive recently reported earnings of $11.52 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 12.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 762,186 shares of the company's stock after selling 110,563 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 5.89% of Group 1 Automotive worth $291,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 54.0% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 903 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 315.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company's stock worth $657,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 68.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,799,000 after acquiring an additional 5,091 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $479.43.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 4.9%

GPI traded up $21.99 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $467.32. 41,529 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,566. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $336.33 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $438.50 and a 200 day moving average of $429.51. The firm has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. The trade was a 15.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.