Two Sigma Advisers LP Cuts Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lowered its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 35.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,400 shares during the quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.15% of Group 1 Automotive worth $8,598,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock worth $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 52.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 616 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares during the period. Finally, Nilsine Partners LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 943 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $4.57 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $422.88. The stock had a trading volume of 21,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,054. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50 and a beta of 0.94. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The stock's fifty day moving average is $409.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $425.88.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Guggenheim lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup upped 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $454.43.

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.