Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 900 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Prudential Financial Inc. lessened its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,172 shares of the company's stock after selling 900 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.21% of Group 1 Automotive worth $11,874,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,744,000 after buying an additional 2,601 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,602,000. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.8% during the 4th quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 507 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 3,281 shares of the company's stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $384,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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 restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Two 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $450.33.

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Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI traded up $4.58 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $394.48. 36,273 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,647. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $262.31 and a 12-month high of $490.09. The company's 50-day moving average is $440.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $414.35. 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 company has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 forecast 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 declared 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. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was 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 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.