LSV Asset Management Has $50.95 Million Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

LSV Asset Management reduced its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 8.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 116,462 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,350 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $50,953,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 21.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $333.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $388.47 and its 200-day moving average is $415.77. The company has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.90. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $328.85 and a 52-week high of $490.09.

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

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a $0.55 dividend. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Monday, December 8th. Evercore began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $410.00 to $370.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $466.57.

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.