Group 1 Automotive’s (GPI) Buy (B) Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI)‘s stock had its “buy (b)” rating reissued by investment analysts at Weiss Ratings in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. Zacks Research lowered Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $476.57.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.1%

GPI opened at $424.61 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $344.38 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $450.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $432.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.85.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total value of $3,285,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. This trade represents a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at about $43,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.