Factorial Partners LLC Sells 2,650 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Key Points

• Factorial Partners LLC has decreased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 33.7%, now owning 5,210 shares worth approximately $1,990,000.
• The company reported an EPS of $11.52 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates by $1.21, with a 21.4% year-over-year revenue growth to $5.70 billion.
• A quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share has been declared, equating to an annualized yield of 0.5% and a payout ratio of 5.51%.

Factorial Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 33.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,210 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,650 shares during the period. Factorial Partners LLC's holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,990,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.0% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,574 shares of the company's stock valued at $983,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 315.5% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $657,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 68.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,565 shares of the company's stock worth $4,799,000 after buying an additional 5,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $471.57.

Insider Activity

In other Group 1 Automotive news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,365,072.54. The trade was a 15.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of Group 1 Automotive 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 sale, the director directly owned 8 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This trade represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock traded up $5.92 during trading on Friday, reaching $421.19. 119,902 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 167,284. The firm's 50-day moving average is $435.56 and its 200 day moving average is $430.06. The company has a market capitalization of $5.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.83. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $336.33 and a 1 year high of $490.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.82 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

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.