Cetera Investment Advisers Reduces Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Cetera Investment Advisers reduced its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,979 shares of the company's stock after selling 575 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,677,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,355 shares of the company's stock worth $993,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 88.4% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 2,069 shares of the company's stock valued at $872,000 after purchasing an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 64.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company's stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $426.73. The company had a trading volume of 98,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,732. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $407.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $425.50. The firm has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61 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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.49 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $454.43.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.