Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by Congress Wealth Management LLC DE

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE reduced its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,774 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,553 shares during the period. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE owned about 0.11% of Group 1 Automotive worth $6,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,701,000 after acquiring an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,653,000 after purchasing an additional 2,405 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,297,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth about $295,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth about $21,608,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI stock opened at $421.24 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1 year low of $262.31 and a 1 year high of $490.09. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $445.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $412.93.

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

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on GPI shares. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $460.33.

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.