Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System decreased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,386 shares of the company’s stock after selling 33 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 1,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $535,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,629,000 after acquiring an additional 2,667 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,949,000 after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $522,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $399.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $446.47 and a 200-day moving average of $411.47. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09. 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 (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. Analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive 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.