Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Acquired by Leeward Investments LLC MA

Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 26.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,683 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,553 shares during the quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned approximately 0.28% of Group 1 Automotive worth $14,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth $75,315,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 968.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,931,000 after acquiring an additional 76,514 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 226,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 58,641 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 365.9% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 63,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,992,000 after acquiring an additional 50,248 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2,053.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 51,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,403,000 after acquiring an additional 49,559 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $333.74 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $330.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $365.00. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $292.44 and a fifty-two week high of $488.39.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.82 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.17 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 8.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Benchmark upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $456.00.

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.