Leeward Investments LLC MA Boosts Stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. $GPI

Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 52.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 54,244 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,561 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $17,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GPI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 366,770.5% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,431,464 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,002,195,000 after buying an additional 25,424,532 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,125,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 968.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,931,000 after acquiring an additional 76,514 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 226,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 58,641 shares during the period. Finally, Algert Global LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 365.9% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 63,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,992,000 after acquiring an additional 50,248 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.3%

GPI opened at $319.33 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $329.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $349.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19, a PEG ratio of 0.72 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $10.17 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 42.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.55 dividend. 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 payout ratio is presently 8.40%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $338.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.