Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Given New $315.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its target price lowered by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $325.00 to $315.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 17.75% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:GPI traded down $2.13 on Wednesday, reaching $267.51. The stock had a trading volume of 55,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 133,177. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $272.36 and a 200 day moving average of $273.73. The stock has a market cap of $3.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.42. Group 1 Automotive has a 12-month low of $214.25 and a 12-month high of $310.08.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.44 by ($0.94). The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.41 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.86 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.0% in the first quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 91,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,856,000 after purchasing an additional 11,300 shares during the period. Range Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 7.8% in the first quarter. Range Financial Group LLC now owns 4,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 52.3% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,000 after acquiring an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 9.6% in the first quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 1,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

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.