Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $51.76 Million Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 15.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 118,519 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,435 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $51,759,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GPI. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.2% in the second quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 4.6% during the second quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 6.1% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 3.2%

GPI opened at $413.10 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $355.91 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.06. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $409.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $432.46.

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

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 11th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on GPI. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $472.29.

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.