Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $441.25.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GPI. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $338.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $385.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 54.9% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 79 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 40.5% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 118 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 551 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $301.52 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $327.25 and its 200 day moving average is $347.56. 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 current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $10.17 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 42.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 8.40%.

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.