Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Reduces Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd decreased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 49.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,516 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,458 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 349.8% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,257,000 after buying an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 7.3% in the third quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 14,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,431,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 21,806 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,540,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at $131,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,520,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.5%

GPI opened at $352.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $399.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $420.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.90. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $350.18 and a 1-year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $8.49 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by ($0.87). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The company had revenue of $5.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays set a $470.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings cut Group 1 Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $472.29.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.