Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Position Lessened by Woodson Capital Management LP

Woodson Capital Management LP trimmed its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 77,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 59,000 shares during the quarter. Group 1 Automotive accounts for 5.8% of Woodson Capital Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Woodson Capital Management LP’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $29,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of GPI. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $425.20.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $427.76 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $381.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $345.90. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $255.73 and a 52-week high of $440.32. The company has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $12.07 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.