Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

GPI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. 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 2.7 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $366.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $363.26 and a 200 day moving average of $323.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The stock has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $228.84 and a twelve month high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $11.73 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.39 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.0% during the first quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 91,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,856,000 after acquiring an additional 11,300 shares during the last quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $887,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 15.2% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,236 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,498,000 after buying an additional 2,927 shares in the last quarter. PAX Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $650,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at $1,305,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.