Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 6,203 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,437,270 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,203 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.79% of Group 1 Automotive worth $605,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in GPI. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company's stock worth $67,949,000 after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth approximately $21,608,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock worth $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of GPI stock traded up $7.96 on Friday, hitting $380.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 284,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 142,018. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.31 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $436.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $414.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 1.05.

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Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reiterated 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. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $450.33.

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.