Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Grows Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 68.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,565 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,091 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $4,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at about $87,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 95.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 237 shares of the company's stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $5.30 on Friday, hitting $438.82. 399,321 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 148,404. The company has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $279.86 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $426.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $427.89.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 2.27%. Group 1 Automotive's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.49 EPS. Analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 now directly owns 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company's 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 directly owns 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. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on GPI. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Benchmark began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $473.00.

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.