CW Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

CW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 193.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,002 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,340 shares during the period. CW Advisors LLC owned 0.33% of Group 1 Automotive worth $18,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GPI. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $408.60 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $413.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $433.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.90. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $355.91 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $9.90 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Monday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $478.88.

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.