Blue Trust Inc. Sells 113 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Blue Trust Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 22.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 385 shares of the company’s stock after selling 113 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 1.2% in the first quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,038,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on GPI. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of 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, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Three 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 an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $473.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total transaction of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $446.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $279.86 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $424.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $427.64.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.27% and a return on equity of 17.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.49 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

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.