Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives $460.33 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $460.33.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on GPI. Guggenheim increased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 2.0 %

GPI stock opened at $432.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $260.00 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $449.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $409.61.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.44%.

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

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 98,467 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 10,969 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,312,000 after purchasing an additional 107,663 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,075,000 after purchasing an additional 9,587 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,080,000 after buying an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advent International L.P. increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,961,000 after buying an additional 80,870 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.