Tectonic Advisors LLC Takes Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Tectonic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $522,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of GPI opened at $472.42 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $433.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $390.55. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $258.77 and a twelve month high of $474.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%. On average, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $447.83.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.