Barclays PLC Trims Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Barclays PLC reduced its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 47.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 29,775 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,544 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.22% of Group 1 Automotive worth $12,549,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $391,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 39,107 shares of the company's stock worth $16,483,000 after acquiring an additional 4,862 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 840.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 423 shares of the company's stock worth $178,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the 4th 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI traded up $0.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $406.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 161,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,625. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $412.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $416.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target 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. Citigroup began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday. They set a "buy" rating and a $463.00 target price on the stock. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $449.86.

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.