Covalis Capital LLP Sells 7,386 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Covalis Capital LLP decreased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 38.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,870 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,386 shares during the quarter. Covalis Capital LLP owned approximately 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,720 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth approximately $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on 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 decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.5 %

GPI stock traded up $5.92 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $404.57. The stock had a trading volume of 68,708 shares, compared to its average volume of 171,115. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.01 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The company has a fifty day moving average of $415.54 and a 200 day moving average of $415.41.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. On average, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

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.