Kendall Capital Management Has $845,000 Stock Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Kendall Capital Management reduced its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,005 shares of the company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the period. Kendall Capital Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,518,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after buying an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after buying an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,297,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $441.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $449.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $408.88. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $260.00 and a 12 month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.44%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

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.