AQR Capital Management LLC Trims Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

AQR Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,931 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,211 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $4,186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock worth $584,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $430.20 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 firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.94. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $279.86 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $403.90 and a 200-day moving average of $420.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business’s revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.61%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $463.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $449.86.

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.