Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Given New $315.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its price objective reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $325.00 to $315.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on GPI. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.4 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $265.76 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.68. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 6.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $214.25 and a 12 month high of $310.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.44 by ($0.94). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 24.36% and a net margin of 3.34%. The company had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $10.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPI. Citigroup Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 27,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,597,000 after purchasing an additional 2,755 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 55.6% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,529,000 after acquiring an additional 3,257 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 8.4% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 14,828 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,489,000 after acquiring an additional 1,147 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $727,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Hedge funds and other 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.