AlphaQuest LLC Has $2.52 Million Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 97.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,409 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,157 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,521,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,966,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.3% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,028 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,143,000 after buying an additional 6,239 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $229,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,993,000 after buying an additional 2,452 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,753 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,202,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. 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 research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $456.00.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $329.22 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $292.44 and a 52 week high of $488.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $331.29 and its 200 day moving average is $360.53.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 EPS 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 company had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $10.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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.