Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on GPI. Stephens began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE GPI traded up $4.29 during trading on Thursday, hitting $382.23. The stock had a trading volume of 100,661 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,029. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $228.84 and a 12 month high of $393.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 9.02, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $355.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.70.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $11.73 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.9% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 48.4% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,105,000 after purchasing an additional 2,308 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 55.3% in the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $854,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.1% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 43,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,011,000 after purchasing an additional 1,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 327.0% in the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 15,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,596,000 after purchasing an additional 11,839 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.