4D Advisors LLC Sells 10,000 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Key Points

• 4D Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 50%, now holding 10,000 shares worth approximately $3.82 million.
• Group 1 Automotive recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, with a dividend yield of 0.4% and a payout ratio of 5.51%.
• Analysts generally hold a "hold" rating on Group 1 Automotive, with an average target price of $479.43, despite some upward revisions in price targets by major institutions.

4D Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive comprises approximately 3.0% of 4D Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. 4D Advisors LLC owned 0.08% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,820,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on GPI shares. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $479.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,525 shares of company stock valued at $4,829,950 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI traded up $2.87 on Friday, reaching $482.88. The company had a trading volume of 159,275 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,456. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $336.33 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The company 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $445.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $429.10.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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