Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Sold by Hodges Capital Management Inc.

Hodges Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,345 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,914 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.11% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,249,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,966,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,143,000 after buying an additional 6,239 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $229,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,993,000 after buying an additional 2,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,202,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. UBS Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $338.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $441.25.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $327.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.81. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $292.44 and a fifty-two week high of $488.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $331.32 and a 200 day moving average of $355.03.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued 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 business had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 1.46%.The company’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.17 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

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.