Inspire Investing LLC Buys 1,798 Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 30.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,772 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,798 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $3,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp grew 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 valued at $42,000 after acquiring 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. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% in 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 stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at $55,000. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $305.84 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $330.50 and its 200-day moving average is $352.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of 11.68, a PEG ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.81. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52 week low of $292.44 and a 52 week high of $488.39.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced 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 the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 1.46%.Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.17 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 8.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPI. Barclays upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Benchmark upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $441.25.

Group 1 Automotive Company 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.