DGS Capital Management LLC Sells 53 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

DGS Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,626 shares of the company’s stock after selling 53 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $156,253,000 after purchasing an additional 232,846 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in 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 worth $190,004,000 after buying an additional 115,143 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 596.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 76,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,259,000 after acquiring an additional 65,414 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,174,000 after acquiring an additional 53,811 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on GPI shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $437.67.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $426.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $440.32. The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 1.35. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $392.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $354.70.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $12.07 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

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

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.