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

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $426.8889.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPI. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Evercore set a $440.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, July 7th.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 184,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,822,000 after purchasing an additional 33,542 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 2,053.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 51,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,403,000 after purchasing an additional 49,559 shares during the last quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,167,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1,001.6% during the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 12,779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,026,000 after buying an additional 11,619 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $98,125,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 3.5%

GPI stock opened at $330.72 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $336.63. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $279.10 and a twelve month high of $488.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 12.63, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.17 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 8.40%.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.