Rhumbline Advisers Reduces Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,450 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,138 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.32% of Group 1 Automotive worth $15,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $66,000. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 28.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 498 shares of the company's stock valued at $210,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 32,108 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,533,000 after purchasing an additional 3,986 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 67,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,482,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $422.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $279.86 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $413.11 and a 200 day moving average of $426.72.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.47%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. Citigroup boosted 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. Wall Street Zen raised Group 1 Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Guggenheim cut Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $454.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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