Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP decreased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 30.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,894 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,494 shares during the quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $3,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% in the fourth quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,986,000 after purchasing an additional 13,742 shares during the period. Finally, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the subject of several research reports. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on 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. Two investment 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, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $392.50 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. The company has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $423.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $414.71. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. 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 yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.44%.

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.