Q1 EPS Forecast for Group 1 Automotive Reduced by Analyst

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Group 1 Automotive in a report released on Wednesday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $9.45 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $9.50. The consensus estimate for Group 1 Automotive’s current full-year earnings is $40.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Group 1 Automotive’s Q2 2025 earnings at $10.44 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.68 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $40.58 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $43.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $54.15 EPS.

GPI has been the topic of several other research reports. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $447.83.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $484.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $437.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $395.74. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $258.77 and a 52-week high of $489.99.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,518,000 after buying an additional 10,969 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,312,000 after acquiring an additional 107,663 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,075,000 after acquiring an additional 9,587 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,949,000 after purchasing an additional 84,832 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.12%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.