Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Raised to Hold at StockNews.com

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

GPI has been the topic of several other research reports. Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America cut their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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, September 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $346.57 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $364.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $327.20. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $239.01 and a 52-week high of $393.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.32.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.73 EPS. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.64%.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’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 transaction of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at $48,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the 2nd 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 period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at $106,000. 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.