Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $420.00 to $425.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Group 1 Automotive traded as high as $399.00 and last traded at $399.00, with a volume of 5918 shares. The stock had previously closed at $376.41.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Stephens initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $397.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth about $887,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 15.2% during the 1st 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 bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $650,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter worth $1,305,000. Finally, Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth $452,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.73, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company’s 50 day moving average is $366.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $333.42.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $12.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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.