Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Buys Shares of 700 Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $295,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GPI. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $451.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $258.77 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $443.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $401.50.

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

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPI has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed 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 for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $460.33.

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.