Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Research Coverage Started at Stephens

Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) in a report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued an equal weight rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock.

GPI has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $367.80.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $364.39 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.60, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $340.13 and its 200 day moving average is $307.45. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $228.84 and a 1-year high of $379.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

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

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.52%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 150,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,941,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 19,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,884,000 after buying an additional 2,151 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $477,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.