Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its price target raised by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $370.00 to $385.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 10.11% from the stock’s current price.

GPI has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $470.00 to $455.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $490.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Benchmark raised Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $444.50.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $349.65 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $326.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $376.37. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $292.44 and a 1-year high of $488.39. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.88.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $8.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.36 by ($0.87). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 17.39%. The company had revenue of $5.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.02 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 366,770.5% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,431,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,002,195,000 after acquiring an additional 25,424,532 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth about $98,125,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,315,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 968.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,931,000 after acquiring an additional 76,514 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 226,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 58,641 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.