Factorial Partners LLC Sells 2,040 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Factorial Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,860 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,040 shares during the period. Group 1 Automotive accounts for 1.9% of Factorial Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Factorial Partners LLC owned 0.06% of Group 1 Automotive worth $3,313,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake 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 buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 98,467 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock traded up $5.55 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $446.11. The company had a trading volume of 165,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,667. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $448.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $407.76. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $258.77 and a one year high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 1.36.

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

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

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

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

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.