UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 1,847 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC cut its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,570 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,847 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.25% of Group 1 Automotive worth $12,859,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

GPI traded up $2.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $430.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 80,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 127,969. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 1.35. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $255.73 and a twelve month high of $440.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $387.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.90.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $12.07 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive's revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is currently 5.01%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $425.20.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.