B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Makes New $3.29 Million Investment in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,286,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG owned 0.06% of Group 1 Automotive as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company's stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of GPI opened at $401.67 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $255.73 and a 12 month high of $422.28. The firm's 50 day moving average is $375.10 and its 200-day moving average is $340.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The company's revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $12.07 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.52 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $397.80.

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.