BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC Buys Shares of 617 Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

BlueStem Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GPI. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,518,000 after acquiring an additional 10,969 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after purchasing an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,576,000 after buying an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $459.53 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $447.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $405.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $258.77 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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.