Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Shares Sold by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC decreased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,315 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,013 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $647,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup assumed 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 target on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $502.00 to $426.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.4 %

GPI stock opened at $408.23 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $411.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $417.31. 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 $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.49 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

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.