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

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $470.14.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $415.00 price target (down previously from $435.00) on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 0.5%

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $410.51 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $436.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $431.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $326.91 and a 12 month high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.90.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.31 by $1.21. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.65 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.82 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. The trade was a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total value of $219,439.50. Following the sale, the director owned 8 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,343.84. This trade represents a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.2% during the second quarter. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 4.6% in the second quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 563 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.