Brokerages Set Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Price Target at $478.00

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $478.00.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $485.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $430.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 10th.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8 shares in the company, valued at $3,343.84. This represents a 98.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.34, for a total transaction of $3,285,380.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,939,731.78. The trade was a 7.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MAI Capital Management grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 60.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $433.88 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $452.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $433.96. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $344.38 and a twelve month high of $490.09. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a PE ratio of 11.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 18.10%. The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.82 EPS. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is 5.51%.

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.