Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Purchases Shares of 700 Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GPI. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third 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 position 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company's stock worth $117,080,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 152,923 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,576,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

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Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $10.37 on Tuesday, reaching $462.36. The stock had a trading volume of 44,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,711. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.58 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $444.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $403.14. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $258.77 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GPI shares. Guggenheim increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report 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. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $460.33.

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.