Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $478.8750.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was 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 owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,939,731.78. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPI. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 23.0% in the first quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $294,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 538 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 1,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth $4,596,000. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 112.9% in the first quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 2,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,007,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI stock opened at $391.56 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $430.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $435.81. The firm has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.06. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $355.91 and a 1 year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.64 by ($0.19). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 1.67%.The company had revenue of $5.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.90 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 11th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.00%.

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.