Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Director Steven Mizell Sells 550 Shares of Company Stock

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Director Steven Mizell sold 550 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.52, for a total value of $143,286.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 33 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,597.16. This trade represents a 94.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

GPI stock traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $260.61. 212,533 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 202,084. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.25. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 1-year low of $224.65 and a 1-year high of $429.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $254.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $308.12. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.25, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $9.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.50 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.58 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 15.18%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $10.45 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 37.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.96%.

Group 1 Automotive News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Group 1 Automotive this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target from $320 to $300 but maintained an overweight rating, implying meaningful upside from recent levels. The revised target suggests the firm still expects Group 1 Automotive’s valuation and operating performance to improve. Barclays stock recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors are refocusing on GPI’s potentially undervalued profile after the earnings report. The company remains profitable and trades at a relatively low earnings multiple, which could support the stock if automotive demand and margins stabilize. Group 1 Automotive Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reduced its price target from $271 to $259 and retained a neutral rating, signaling limited near-term upside at the current valuation. UBS Group stock recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: New disclosures about the stockholder agreement with Conifer highlight potential governance, capital-allocation and shareholder-activism risks. The agreement may influence future strategic decisions but does not yet represent a direct change to operations. Conifer stockholder agreement analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS of $9.36 missed the $9.50 consensus, while revenue of $5.40 billion fell short of expectations and declined 6.7% year over year. EPS also decreased from $10.45 in the prior-year quarter, reinforcing concerns about slowing sales and profitability. Group 1 Automotive Q3 results and margins
• Negative Sentiment: Director Steven Mizell sold 550 shares for approximately $143,286, leaving him with only 33 shares. Separately, SVP Gillian Hobson sold 2,000 shares worth about $516,480, reducing her holdings by roughly 21%. The sales may weigh on sentiment, although they do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals. Group 1 Automotive insider sale filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GPI. Evercore set a $360.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $271.00 to $259.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $338.11.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth about $167,000. Garner Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth $1,537,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 445.8% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 57,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,773,000 after acquiring an additional 4,150 shares during the period. Finally, Sage Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $366,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates dealerships that sell new and used automobiles and light trucks from a broad range of manufacturers.

In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides automotive financing and insurance products, vehicle maintenance and repair, collision services, replacement parts, and other related services. Its dealerships also market vehicles through digital retailing platforms.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive serves customers through a network of dealerships and automotive service locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.