Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI) director Max P. Watson sold 5,000 shares of the company in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 22. The shares were sold for an average price of $ 150.56, for a total value of $ 752,800.00. As a result of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,516 shares of the company, valued at $ 7,304,568.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, accessible through the SEC website.

GPI shares traded up $ 2.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $ 154.24. The stock had a trading volume of 172,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 171,669. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a one-year low of $ 55.79 and a one-year high of 175 , $ 04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.12, and a debt ratio of 0.81. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $ 161.50. The stock has a market cap of $ 2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 7.84, a price-to-earnings growth ratio of 0.48, and a beta of 2.04.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE: GPI) last reported its results on Wednesday, April 28. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $ 5.57 for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $ 4.43 by $ 1.14. Group 1 Automotive posted a return on equity of 28.78% and a net margin of 3.20%. The company posted revenue of $ 3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to $ 2.75 billion expected by analysts. During the same period of the previous year, the company posted earnings per share of $ 1.66. The company’s turnover is up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 21.21 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 15. Investors registered on Tuesday, June 1 received a dividend of $ 0.33. The ex-dividend date was Friday May 28. This represents an annualized dividend of $ 1.32 and a return of 0.86%. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $ 0.31. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.31%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently increased or reduced their holdings in GPI. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $ 211,000. The Swiss National Bank increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. The Swiss National Bank now owns 39,200 shares of the company valued at $ 5,141,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Aperio Group LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Aperio Group LLC now owns 9,399 shares of the company valued at $ 1,233,000 after acquiring 166 additional shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,729,286 shares of the company valued at $ 357,918,000 after acquiring an additional 179,164 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC World Markets Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $ 259,000.

A number of research companies have commented on GPI. Goldman Sachs upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell†rating to a “neutral†rating in a report released on Tuesday, May 4. Benchmark raised its price target on the Group 1 automobile from $ 190.00 to $ 214.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday, May 3. Stephens raised its price target on the Group 1 automobile from $ 163.00 to $ 180.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report released on Wednesday, March 17. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its price target for the Group 1 automobile from $ 185.00 to $ 202.00 and assigned the company an “overweight” rating in a report released on Friday, May 7. One investment analyst rated the stock with a conservation rating and six gave the stock a buy rating. The company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $ 173.83.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail industry. The company sells new and used cars, light trucks and vehicle parts, as well as service and insurance contracts; organizes the financing of related vehicles; and provides auto maintenance and repair services. It operates primarily in the metropolitan areas of 15 states in the United States; 33 cities in the UK; and 3 states in Brazil.

Further Reading: Real Estate Investment Trust ETFs (REITs)

This instant news alert was powered by storytelling technology and MarketBeat financial data to provide readers with the fastest, most accurate reports. This story was reviewed by the MarketBeat editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]

Featured article: What is basic economics?

7 stocks that still have potential for investors to buy

It can be fun to invest in certain speculative stocks. But it goes without saying that these stocks don’t have to be the bulk of your portfolio. In fact, it’s important to find a few good stocks that form the basis of your portfolio. These are dynamic stocks that are in a strong uptrend.

One way to find these stocks is to look at the most active stocks (or volume leaders). The shares of these companies are among the most traded or have the highest volume of shares traded on any given trading day.

Any action can break this list from time to time (for example, when there is new business news). However, stocks tend to find their way onto this list on a consistent basis, which is worth watching. This is because this listing indicates that there is pressure among investors to buy or sell the stock. And that makes the decision of an investor very simple.

And that’s why we created this special presentation. The stocks on this list are some of the most actively traded stocks on the market today. They also share a similar quality. They are coming off a good year in 2020 and seem to be showing some consolidation for another head start.

Check out the “7 stocks that still have potential for investors to buyâ€.