Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock Price

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its target price lowered by equities researchers at Barclays from $470.00 to $455.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 40.56% from the company’s current price.

GPI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $370.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Benchmark raised Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Evercore began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $452.00.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of GPI traded down $3.29 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $323.72. 19,664 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 187,825. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $292.44 and a 1-year high of $488.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of 12.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day moving average of $331.33 and a 200 day moving average of $382.73.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $8.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.36 by ($0.87). The company had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 17.39%. The business’s revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.02 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 881.8% in the fourth quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.