Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $170.25.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens began coverage on Penske Automotive Group in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $161.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Penske Automotive Group from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Penske Automotive Group from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $115.00 to $180.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Penske Automotive Group Stock Up 0.3 %

PAG stock opened at $150.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a current ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $10.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day moving average is $159.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.36. Penske Automotive Group has a fifty-two week low of $142.32 and a fifty-two week high of $179.72.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.41 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $7.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.67 billion. Penske Automotive Group had a net margin of 2.91% and a return on equity of 18.38%. Penske Automotive Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.90 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Penske Automotive Group will post 13.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $1.19 per share. This is a positive change from Penske Automotive Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Penske Automotive Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.48%.

Institutional Trading of Penske Automotive Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Penske Automotive Group by 14,833.3% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the period. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 45,300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $94,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $112,000. Institutional investors own 77.08% of the company’s stock.

About Penske Automotive Group

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.