B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Invests $3.29 Million in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 8,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,286,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG owned approximately 0.06% of Group 1 Automotive at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth $48,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPI. Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.1 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $401.67 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $255.73 and a 52-week high of $422.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $375.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $340.96.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $12.07 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.01%.

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.