Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives $437.67 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the six analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $436.83.

Several brokerages have commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,286,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,004,000 after acquiring an additional 115,143 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,805,000 after acquiring an additional 5,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pathstone Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 10,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,899,000 after acquiring an additional 2,089 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI opened at $447.84 on Monday. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $255.73 and a 1 year high of $449.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $422.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $375.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.97 billion, a PE ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $12.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.36 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.01%.

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.