Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 1,162 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Schroder Investment Management Group lessened its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,472 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,162 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $27,021,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Intrust Bank NA raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 1,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,627,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $222,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $823,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $301,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of GPI opened at $399.05 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $439.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $414.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its 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%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

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.