Benjamin Edwards Inc. Buys 102 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,441 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,573,000 after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at $272,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $993,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE GPI opened at $430.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $403.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $420.00. The company has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $279.86 and a 52 week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $463.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $449.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.