Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Burney Co.

Burney Co. decreased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 49,105 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,917 shares during the period. Burney Co. owned approximately 0.38% of Group 1 Automotive worth $18,756,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Convergence Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $1,075,000. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $573,000. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $229,000. Efficient Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $565,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at about $486,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of GPI traded up $21.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $437.34. The company had a trading volume of 267,137 shares, compared to its average volume of 184,734. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $438.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $431.25. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $326.91 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.90.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 2.18%. The company's revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $415.00 target price (down previously from $435.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Citigroup upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Benchmark began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $470.14.

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.