EULAV Asset Management Has $12.26 Million Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

EULAV Asset Management grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,015 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the quarter. EULAV Asset Management’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $12,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,966,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.3% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,028 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,143,000 after buying an additional 6,239 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth $229,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 41,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,993,000 after buying an additional 2,452 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Longboard Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at $204,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $397.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.89 and a beta of 0.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $400.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $427.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $355.91 and a 1-year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.64 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $5.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.67 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 1.67%.Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.90 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 7.00%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on GPI shares. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $472.29.

Group 1 Automotive Profile

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.