Hantz Financial Services Inc. Raises Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 22.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,571 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,196 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in 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 in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $3,286,000. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 14.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,483 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,805,000 after buying an additional 5,942 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,899,000 after buying an additional 2,089 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,355 shares of the company's stock valued at $993,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.7 %

GPI traded down $7.97 during trading on Monday, hitting $448.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 115,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,916. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $258.77 and a twelve month high of $471.28. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $431.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $387.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%. Analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 40.59 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $447.83.

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.