Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 74.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,209 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,706 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $12,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 881.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth about $55,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $356.16 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $314.80 and its 200-day moving average is $332.43. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $279.10 and a 12-month high of $488.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.83.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.82 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $10.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Evercore set a $440.00 price target on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $426.89.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.