XTX Topco Ltd Makes New $1.34 Million Investment in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,484 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,335,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth $452,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at $3,286,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,004,000 after purchasing an additional 115,143 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 40,541 shares of the company's stock worth $12,052,000 after buying an additional 3,095 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,899,000 after purchasing an additional 2,089 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $5.80 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $424.69. 104,968 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,622. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32 and a beta of 1.35. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $255.73 and a 1 year high of $440.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $388.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $352.06.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $12.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 EPS for the current year.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.01%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.