Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Acquired by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 244.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,319 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 39,982 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.42% of Group 1 Automotive worth $21,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth $46,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:GPI traded up $2.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $427.10. The stock had a trading volume of 117,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,224. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $255.73 and a twelve month high of $440.32. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $392.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $355.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a PE ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 1.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company's revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $12.07 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.01%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $394.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $437.67.

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.