Islay Capital Management LLC Sells 421 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Islay Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,423 shares of the company’s stock after selling 421 shares during the period. Islay Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% during 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. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter worth about $115,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total value of $3,285,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 82,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $478.88.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $391.56 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $431.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $435.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.06. The stock has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $355.91 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.64 by ($0.19). The company had revenue of $5.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.67 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 1.67%.The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.90 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 10.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.00%.

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.