Woodline Partners LP Buys Shares of 15,246 Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Key Points

• Woodline Partners LP has acquired 15,246 shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc., valued at approximately $5.8 million, resulting in a 0.12% ownership stake in the company.
• Group 1 Automotive reported a 21.4% year-over-year increase in revenue, with a quarterly EPS of $11.52 beating estimates by $1.21.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with an ex-dividend date of September 2nd, representing an annual yield of 0.4%.

Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,246 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,823,000. Woodline Partners LP owned 0.12% of Group 1 Automotive at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elequin Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 41 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 purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at about $64,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at about $87,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GPI shares. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $476.57.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPI traded up $6.97 during trading on Thursday, reaching $465.22. The stock had a trading volume of 26,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 165,097. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $344.38 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $447.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $429.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. Group 1 Automotive's revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.82 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 8 shares in the company, valued at $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total transaction of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.