Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Takes $2.10 Million Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 6,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,103,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 159.6% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Amundi acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $265.76 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.23, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.42. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $310.08. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $272.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.44 by ($0.94). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 24.36% and a net margin of 3.34%. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $10.86 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.47 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $325.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Guggenheim upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.67.

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.