Intrust Bank NA Grows Position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Intrust Bank NA lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 29.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,306 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Intrust Bank NA’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Level Four Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,627,000 after buying an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $222,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,953 shares of the company’s stock valued at $823,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $301,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth about $65,721,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $376.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $262.31 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $442.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $413.40.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current 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 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 was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

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.