Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC reduced its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 82.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 601 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,823 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted 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 worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,653,000 after buying an additional 2,405 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company's stock worth $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% during the fourth quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company's stock worth $8,986,000 after purchasing an additional 13,742 shares during the period. Finally, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GPI shares. Guggenheim cut 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 note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of GPI stock traded down $1.90 on Friday, hitting $427.93. 19,195 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 143,041. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $279.86 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $404.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $419.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 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 company earned $9.49 EPS. Group 1 Automotive's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is 5.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

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 transaction of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.