Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 3,758 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,952 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,758 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Group 1 Automotive worth $15,153,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $295,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth $3,286,000. Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company's stock worth $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 67,576 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,482,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $460.33.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI traded down $1.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $441.28. 247,067 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 127,879. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $260.00 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $449.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $408.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.01 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

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

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.