Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $360.25

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $360.25.

A number of analysts have weighed in on GPI shares. UBS Group cut their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $338.00 to $330.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. DA Davidson set a $425.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Seaport Research Partners set a $420.00 price objective on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $387.00 to $357.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $380.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Friday, July 31st.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $249.81 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $234.05 and a 52-week high of $461.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company’s 50 day moving average is $271.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.61.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $9.61 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.60 by ($0.99). The business had revenue of $5.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.66 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 15.66% and a net margin of 1.31%.The business’s revenue was down 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $10.82 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 1st were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 9.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, major shareholder Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 71,592 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $242.03 per share, with a total value of $17,327,411.76. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 1,912,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $462,831,548.70. This trade represents a 3.89% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have bought a total of 720,030 shares of company stock valued at $187,264,264 in the last three months. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at $234,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 112.0% in the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 352.3% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 2,170 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 81.4% during the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 26,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,621,000 after purchasing an additional 11,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer that operates franchised automobile dealerships. The company sells new and used vehicles from a range of manufacturers and provides related automotive services, including vehicle maintenance and repairs, parts and accessories, financing, and insurance products.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Houston, Texas, Group 1 Automotive serves customers through dealership operations in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as other international markets.