Group 1 Automotive (GPI) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) is scheduled to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $9.58 per share for the quarter. Investors interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.44 by ($0.94). The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 24.36% and a net margin of 3.34%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $10.86 EPS. On average, analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post $39 EPS for the current fiscal year and $39 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $268.65 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a PE ratio of 6.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $271.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $274.03. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $214.25 and a 1 year high of $310.08.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 4.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on GPI. Guggenheim upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $325.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.67.

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.