B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Decreases Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 14.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,199 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $3,111,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI stock opened at $389.34 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $440.31 and a 200-day moving average of $414.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.59 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.31 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive 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.