Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 84,832 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 111.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 161,216 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 84,832 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $67,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $390.19 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.31 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $447.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $411.50. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.62 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

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.