Marshall Wace LLP Has $1.25 Million Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 146.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,960 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company's stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the company's stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the company's stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock traded up $1.00 on Monday, hitting $413.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,639. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. 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's 50 day moving average is $407.31 and its 200-day moving average is $418.60. The company has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 11.25 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.61%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive 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.