Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Stephens

Analysts at Stephens began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) in a research report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. Stephens’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 8.13% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America reduced their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $367.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 5.6 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $364.39 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $228.84 and a fifty-two week high of $379.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $338.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.75. The stock has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a PE ratio of 8.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $11.73 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.9% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 48.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 2,308 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 55.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $854,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 3.1% during the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 43,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,011,000 after buying an additional 1,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 327.0% during the second quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC now owns 15,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,596,000 after buying an additional 11,839 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.