Analysts Set Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) PT at $396.80

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $396.80.

GPI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America dropped 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target 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.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $848,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.5 %

GPI opened at $362.34 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $255.73 and a twelve month high of $393.93. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $365.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $330.44. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.65, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.83% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $12.07 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.01%.

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.