Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Buys New Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GPI. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at $243,000. Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,870,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth $1,367,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of GPI opened at $399.90 on Friday. 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 12-month low of $262.31 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $446.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $411.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GPI shares. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

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.