Insider Buying: Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Major Shareholder Purchases 68,648 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

  • Conifer Management purchased 68,648 Group 1 Automotive shares at an average price of $239.48, investing approximately $16.4 million and increasing its ownership by 3.87% to 1.84 million shares.
  • The purchase is part of a broader buying campaign in which Conifer acquired multiple blocks of GPI shares during September, signaling potential confidence in the company despite recent stock-price weakness.
  • Group 1 Automotive recently missed quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, while analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating; the stock was trading near $241.54, well below its 12-month high of $461.27.

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) major shareholder Conifer Management, L.L.C. purchased 68,648 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $239.48 per share, with a total value of $16,439,823.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,840,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $440,810,357.04. This represents a 3.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Conifer Management, L.L.C. also recently made the following trade(s):

  • On Monday, September 28th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 133,472 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $243.58 per share, for a total transaction of $32,511,109.76.
  • On Wednesday, September 30th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 71,592 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $242.03 per share, for a total transaction of $17,327,411.76.
  • On Friday, September 25th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. bought 50,532 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $252.06 per share, with a total value of $12,737,095.92.
  • On Thursday, September 24th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. bought 75,756 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $248.00 per share, with a total value of $18,787,488.00.
  • On Friday, September 18th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. purchased 37,650 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $249.88 per share, for a total transaction of $9,407,982.00.
  • On Thursday, September 17th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. purchased 28,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $266.06 per share, for a total transaction of $7,449,680.00.
  • On Thursday, September 10th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. purchased 36,647 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $280.86 per share, for a total transaction of $10,292,676.42.
  • On Wednesday, September 9th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 47,353 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $282.48 per share, with a total value of $13,376,275.44.
  • On Friday, September 4th, Conifer Management, L.L.C. bought 57,159 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $300.15 per share, for a total transaction of $17,156,273.85.
  • On Thursday, September 3rd, Conifer Management, L.L.C. bought 83,121 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $282.63 per share, for a total transaction of $23,492,488.23.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.3%




GPI opened at $241.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.06, a PEG ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $275.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $305.30. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a twelve month low of $235.11 and a twelve month high of $461.27.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $9.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.60 by ($0.99). The firm had revenue of $5.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.66 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 15.66%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $10.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is presently 9.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

GPI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $338.00 to $330.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Seaport Research Partners set a $420.00 price target on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $387.00 to $357.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $360.25.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Group 1 Automotive

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $5,167,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at $98,125,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at about $593,420,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 51.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 78,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,064,000 after acquiring an additional 26,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 75.1% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 12,264 shares of the company's stock worth $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 5,262 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Group 1 Automotive this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Conifer Management purchased 133,472 GPI shares for approximately $32.5 million on September 28, followed by purchases of 68,648 shares worth $16.4 million on September 29 and 71,592 shares worth $17.3 million on September 30. The transactions increased Conifer’s reported ownership to approximately 1.91 million shares. SEC insider transaction filing
  • Positive Sentiment: The purchases extend a sustained buying campaign by Conifer, which has acquired more than $180 million of GPI stock in disclosed transactions since early September. Such concentrated buying by a major shareholder can signal confidence that the shares are undervalued or that the company’s long-term outlook is attractive. Conifer Management insider buying report
  • Neutral Sentiment: Sell-side analysts currently have a consensus “Hold” rating. Five analysts rate GPI a Buy, three rate it Hold and two rate it Sell. The consensus price target of $360.25 implies substantial potential upside, but recent target reductions and cautious ratings indicate limited near-term conviction. Analyst Hold rating report
  • Negative Sentiment: Recent quarterly results missed expectations: EPS was $9.61 versus the $10.60 consensus estimate, while revenue of $5.39 billion fell short of the $5.66 billion forecast and declined 5.6% year over year. EPS also decreased from $10.82 in the prior-year quarter, highlighting pressure on automotive demand and profitability.
  • Negative Sentiment: Several firms have downgraded or lowered their outlook, including Zacks Research and Weiss Ratings, while Morgan Stanley reduced its price target to $300. These actions reinforce concerns about earnings momentum despite GPI’s relatively low valuation.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer that operates franchised automobile dealerships. The company sells new and used vehicles from a range of manufacturers and provides related automotive services, including vehicle maintenance and repairs, parts and accessories, financing, and insurance products.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Group 1 Automotive serves customers through dealership operations in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as other international markets.

See Also

Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI)

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