Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Purchased by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 14.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 32,108 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,986 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.24% of Group 1 Automotive worth $13,533,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim upped their price objective 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. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $460.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were 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 directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock traded down $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $468.23. 230,353 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,511. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company's 50 day moving average is $442.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $400.24. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $258.77 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.12%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.