Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Decreases Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 872,749 shares of the company's stock after selling 73,106 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 6.55% of Group 1 Automotive worth $367,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock worth $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock worth $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at $416,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.2 %

GPI stock traded up $8.85 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $407.50. 174,394 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 172,457. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $415.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $415.41. The stock has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.09 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change 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 0.49%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $463.00 price target for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.