Advent International L.P. Has $89.83 Million Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Key Points

• Advent International L.P. has increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. by 15.3%, making it the firm's 9th largest investment with approximately $89.83 million owned.
• Group 1 Automotive experienced strong financial performance, reporting a quarterly earnings per share of $11.52, exceeding analysts' expectations and reflecting a year-over-year revenue increase of 21.4%.
• The company has declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, with a payout ratio of 5.51%, set to be paid on September 16th to shareholders of record.

Advent International L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 15.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 235,195 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 31,244 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive comprises approximately 2.8% of Advent International L.P.'s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Advent International L.P. owned approximately 1.82% of Group 1 Automotive worth $89,833,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GPI. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% in 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. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during 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 period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $87,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings 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. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GPI. Guggenheim cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $479.43.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total transaction of $3,285,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value 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 represents a 15.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,525 shares of company stock valued at $4,829,950. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of GPI traded up $2.87 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $482.88. 159,275 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,456. The stock has a market cap of $6.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 0.86. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $445.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $429.10. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $336.33 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.05 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.82 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

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.