Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt Sells 2,900 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt cut its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 54.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,450 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,900 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 881.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $311.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.90, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.81. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $292.44 and a 52-week high of $488.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $331.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $356.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 1.46%.The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.17 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.40%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on GPI. Benchmark upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $338.00 price target on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $441.25.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.