Gator Capital Management LLC Invests $260,000 in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Gator Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 618 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $260,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,518,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,075,000 after acquiring an additional 9,587 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,949,000 after purchasing an additional 84,832 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 157,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,389,000 after purchasing an additional 888 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $380.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $436.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $414.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12-month low of $262.31 and a 12-month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $450.33.

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.