GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 74,711.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,522 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 90,401 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.68% of Group 1 Automotive worth $345,750,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $66,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $144,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was 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 now owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE GPI traded down $4.69 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $424.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 24,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,300. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $410.78 and a 200 day moving average of $426.31. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $279.86 and a one year high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.49 EPS. Analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is 5.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $454.43.

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.