Two Sigma Investments LP Sells 4,060 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Two Sigma Investments LP trimmed its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,614 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,060 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP owned about 0.17% of Group 1 Automotive worth $9,531,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of GPI traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $422.96. The stock had a trading volume of 10,160 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,863. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 0.94. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $279.86 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $409.82 and a 200 day moving average of $425.96.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $454.43.

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.