Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the ten brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $338.62.

GPI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $338.00 to $330.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $387.00 to $357.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $275.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners set a $420.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Monday, August 3rd.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, major shareholder Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 133,472 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $243.58 per share, with a total value of $32,511,109.76. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 1,772,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $431,635,939. This represents a 8.15% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders acquired 720,030 shares of company stock worth $187,264,264. 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at about $593,420,000. Conifer Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $281,561,390. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,125,000. Lakewood Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $72,098,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth $57,174,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $237.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 9.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $267.82 and a 200-day moving average of $303.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Group 1 Automotive has a 12-month low of $234.05 and a 12-month high of $461.27.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $9.61 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.60 by ($0.99). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 15.66% and a net margin of 1.31%.The firm had revenue of $5.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $10.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.16%.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer that operates franchised automobile dealerships. The company sells new and used vehicles from a range of manufacturers and provides related automotive services, including vehicle maintenance and repairs, parts and accessories, financing, and insurance products.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Group 1 Automotive serves customers through dealership operations in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as other international markets.