880 Shares in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Purchased by OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC

Key Points

• OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC has acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, valued at approximately $336,000, by purchasing 880 shares in the first quarter.
• Institutional investors dominate Group 1 Automotive's ownership, holding 99.92% of the company's stock, with notable increases in positions from firms like Boston Partners and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
• Group 1 Automotive recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, yielding 0.4%, with an upcoming payment date set for September 16th.

OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $336,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,874 shares of the company's stock worth $2,476,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth $21,608,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 840.0% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 423 shares of the company's stock worth $178,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth $391,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:GPI traded up $5.61 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $451.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 29,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 166,188. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $336.33 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $438.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $429.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.83.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $479.43.

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.