Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Acquired by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 2.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 69,255 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,679 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.53% of Group 1 Automotive worth $26,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 571 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the company's stock worth $1,038,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company's stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $473.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,072.54. The trade was a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% 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 Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $3.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $476.75. 137,836 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 150,146. The business has a 50-day moving average of $438.58 and a 200-day moving average of $430.73. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $294.85 and a 1 year high of $490.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.90.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 17.96%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.49 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is 5.61%.

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.