Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives $447.14 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $450.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Benchmark upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Evercore assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $490.00 to $420.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $349.93 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.36, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.87. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $292.44 and a 1-year high of $488.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $329.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $368.49.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). The business had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 16.63% and a net margin of 1.46%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $10.17 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 42.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were given a $0.55 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Corp lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 881.8% in the 4th quarter. First Horizon Corp now owns 108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.