Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Purchased by Intech Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Intech Investment Management LLC has increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 35.2%, now owning 8,432 shares valued at $3.22 million after purchasing an additional 2,195 shares this quarter.
• Insider transactions included significant sales by director Lincoln Pereira, who sold 7,000 shares for approximately $3.29 million, decreasing his ownership by 7.78%.
• Group 1 Automotive recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, resulting in an annualized rate of $2.00 and a yield of 0.4%, with a dividend payout ratio of 5.51%.

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 35.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,432 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,195 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $115,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth $370,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,872 shares of the company's stock worth $15,993,000 after acquiring an additional 2,452 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth $5,823,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,321 shares of the company's stock worth $3,560,000 after buying an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $476.57.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8 shares of the company's stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly owned 82,967 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:GPI traded up $2.36 on Thursday, reaching $460.61. The stock had a trading volume of 144,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 154,331. The company has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm's fifty day moving average is $447.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $429.95. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $344.38 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. The business 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 company's revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.82 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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

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.