Boston Partners Purchases 38,705 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 51.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 114,096 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 38,705 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $49,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter worth $74,499,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,287.8% in the 2nd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 102,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,544,000 after buying an additional 94,650 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 130.5% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 99,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,162,000 after buying an additional 56,564 shares in the last quarter. Advent International L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 235,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,833,000 after buying an additional 31,244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 265.6% during the 1st quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 24,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,438,000 after buying an additional 17,951 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $392.10 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $433.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $436.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.06. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $355.91 and a one year high of $490.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.64 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.67 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 1.67%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.00%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 11th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $478.88.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total value of $3,285,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.