AXQ Capital LP Acquires Shares of 1,745 Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG)

AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $266,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Penske Automotive Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in Penske Automotive Group during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in Penske Automotive Group by 14,833.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Penske Automotive Group by 45,300.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Penske Automotive Group in the third quarter worth $94,000. 77.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Penske Automotive Group

In other Penske Automotive Group news, EVP Claude H. Denker III sold 8,746 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.03, for a total transaction of $1,513,320.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,917 shares in the company, valued at $5,003,508.51. This trade represents a 23.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John Barr sold 1,529 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.45, for a total value of $237,683.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 51.70% of the company’s stock.

Penske Automotive Group Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of PAG stock opened at $149.40 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.91. Penske Automotive Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.32 and a 52-week high of $180.12. The company has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a PE ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $163.05 and its 200 day moving average is $159.69.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $3.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.17. Penske Automotive Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 3.02%. The company had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.56 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Penske Automotive Group, Inc. will post 13.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 24th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 24th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Penske Automotive Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on PAG shares. Benchmark started coverage on Penske Automotive Group in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised Penske Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Penske Automotive Group from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price target on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $172.50.

Penske Automotive Group Company Profile

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.