Wealthfront Advisers LLC Takes Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 88,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,119,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $295,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,286,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 67,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $432.65 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $449.52 and a 200-day moving average of $409.61. The company has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $260.00 and a 52-week high of $490.09.

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

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.50 per share. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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 target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.