Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on GPI. Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 3.5 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $364.50 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $365.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $329.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.32. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $246.02 and a 52-week high of $393.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02.

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, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.93 by ($0.03). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.83% and a net margin of 2.68%. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $12.07 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd were issued a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.01%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were 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 approximately $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 5.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 22,236 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,498,000 after buying an additional 2,927 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at about $475,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.2% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 648.4% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 6,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 5,693 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.