Northern Trust Corp Buys 15,280 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 157,970 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,280 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.19% of Group 1 Automotive worth $66,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Barclays PLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock worth $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $416,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. 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. 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 report on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $0.37 on Friday, hitting $430.20. The stock had a trading volume of 74,314 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,542. The stock has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $279.86 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The business's 50 day moving average is $403.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $420.00.

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

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.