Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC cut its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,492 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,178 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC owned about 0.09% of Group 1 Automotive worth $5,265,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 17.5% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 42,474 shares of the company's stock worth $17,902,000 after purchasing an additional 6,312 shares in the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% during the 4th quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company's stock worth $8,986,000 after acquiring an additional 13,742 shares in the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $389,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the company's stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 157,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,389,000 after acquiring an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI traded up $4.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $403.71. The stock had a trading volume of 164,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,618. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50 day moving average is $428.24 and its 200-day moving average is $414.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $262.31 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. Research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. 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 0.50%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.44%.

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.