Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Boosts Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Key Points

• Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive, acquiring an additional 2,400 shares, raising its total holdings by 32.7% to 9,750 shares, valued at approximately $4.25 million.
• Several institutional investors, including ProShare Advisors LLC and UBS AM, also increased their stakes in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter, contributing to institutional ownership of 99.92% of the company's stock.
• Group 1 Automotive announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a current yield of 0.4%, while its latest earnings report showed a 21.4% year-over-year revenue increase and an EPS of $11.52, exceeding analysts' expectations.

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 32.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,750 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,400 shares during the quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt owned 0.08% of Group 1 Automotive worth $4,254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advent International L.P. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 235,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $89,833,000 after acquiring an additional 31,244 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth approximately $74,499,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 180,580 shares of the company's stock worth $68,973,000 after buying an additional 3,277 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 173,602 shares of the company's stock worth $66,307,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park West Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Park West Asset Management LLC now owns 100,515 shares of the company's stock worth $38,392,000 after acquiring an additional 13,323 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI traded up $4.59 on Tuesday, hitting $456.19. 94,513 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 165,723. The company has a market capitalization of $5.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The business's 50 day moving average price is $446.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $429.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $344.38 and a 52-week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company 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 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%.Group 1 Automotive's quarterly revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.82 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $476.57.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.