Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Thursday.

GPI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday. They set an equal weight rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $367.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.6 %

NYSE GPI opened at $345.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.16, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.33. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $337.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $306.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. Group 1 Automotive has a 52 week low of $228.84 and a 52 week high of $379.45.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $11.73 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during 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 during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 37.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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.