Analysts Set Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) Target Price at $172.50

Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $172.50.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Penske Automotive Group from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Penske Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised Penske Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Penske Automotive Group

In other Penske Automotive Group news, EVP Claude H. Denker III sold 8,746 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.03, for a total value of $1,513,320.38. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,917 shares in the company, valued at $5,003,508.51. This represents a 23.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 51.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Penske Automotive Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Penske Automotive Group by 44.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 14,833.3% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 45,300.0% during the third quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the fourth quarter worth about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.08% of the company’s stock.

Penske Automotive Group Price Performance

Shares of PAG stock opened at $167.28 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s fifty day moving average is $161.79 and its 200 day moving average is $160.70. Penske Automotive Group has a twelve month low of $142.32 and a twelve month high of $180.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.17. Penske Automotive Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 3.02%. The firm had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.56 billion. Research analysts expect that Penske Automotive Group will post 13.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 24th. Penske Automotive Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.49%.

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.