LRT Capital Management LLC Purchases 3,251 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

LRT Capital Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 337.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,213 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,251 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive makes up about 1.4% of LRT Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. LRT Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth approximately $65,721,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,312,000 after acquiring an additional 107,663 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,949,000 after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares during the period. Finally, Advent International L.P. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,961,000 after acquiring an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $430.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $403.90 and a 200-day moving average of $420.99. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $279.86 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The business’s revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.49 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on GPI shares. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $463.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $449.86.

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.