Burney Co. Sells 3,186 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Burney Co. trimmed its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,022 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,186 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive makes up 0.8% of Burney Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Burney Co. owned about 0.41% of Group 1 Automotive worth $22,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GPI. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth approximately $48,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of GPI traded up $11.07 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $447.29. 134,494 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 115,140. The firm's 50 day moving average is $420.40 and its 200-day moving average is $373.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $255.73 and a 52 week high of $449.56. The company has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a PE ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 1.36.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GPI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $437.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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. This represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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.