Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Stock Position Raised by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,453 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,124 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.10% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 157,515 shares of the company's stock worth $66,389,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company's stock worth $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company's stock worth $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% during the 4th quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company's stock worth $8,986,000 after acquiring an additional 13,742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $295,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $454.43.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI traded up $0.14 during trading on Friday, reaching $426.70. The stock had a trading volume of 42,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,304. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $279.86 and a one year high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61 and a beta of 0.94. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $407.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $425.02.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.49 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.61%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.