Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Buys 84,832 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 111.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 161,216 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 1.21% of Group 1 Automotive worth $67,949,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,518,000 after purchasing an additional 10,969 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company's stock valued at $156,253,000 after buying an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $117,080,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock worth $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Finally, Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI traded up $3.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $399.90. 289,287 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 130,843. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50-day moving average of $446.47 and a 200 day moving average of $411.78. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one year low of $262.31 and a one year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

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.