Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Congress Wealth Management LLC DE

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE reduced its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,774 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,553 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $6,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,253,000 after acquiring an additional 232,846 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,949,000 after purchasing an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after buying an additional 53,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $21,608,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on GPI. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE GPI opened at $421.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $445.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $412.93. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.31 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

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

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

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

About Group 1 Automotive

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.