Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Hold”

by · The Markets Daily

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI – Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on GPI. Bank of America cut 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 research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised 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 report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. 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 MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $396.80.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GPI

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE:GPI opened at $385.94 on Thursday. 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 has a 1 year low of $228.84 and a 1 year high of $393.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $356.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $316.25.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.73 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,419,344.58. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter worth $48,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% in the second 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the second 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. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,452.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 559 shares of the company’s stock worth $164,000 after purchasing an additional 523 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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