Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $373.3750.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $300.00 price objective (down from $400.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Evercore set a $360.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $420.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Monday, August 3rd.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $278.24 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $289.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $311.64. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $249.54 and a twelve month high of $485.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.59, a PEG ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.82.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $9.61 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.60 by ($0.99). The firm had revenue of $5.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.66 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 15.66% and a net margin of 1.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $10.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Conifer Management, L.L.C. purchased 83,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $282.63 per share, for a total transaction of $23,492,488.23. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 1,305,481 shares in the company, valued at $368,968,095.03. The trade was a 6.80% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 254,380 shares of company stock worth $72,603,674. Insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth $55,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at about $42,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 78.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 28.2% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer that operates franchised dealerships in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company sells new and used vehicles from a broad range of manufacturers, including domestic, Asian and European brands.

In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides automotive maintenance and repair services, sells replacement parts and accessories, and offers financing, insurance and other related products. Its dealerships also support customers through collision-repair operations and online vehicle purchasing tools.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Group 1 Automotive has expanded through dealership acquisitions and organic growth.