Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives $343.00 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $343.00.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPI. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $310.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $260.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE:GPI opened at $355.21 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The company has a 50-day moving average of $317.42 and a 200-day moving average of $296.19. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $228.84 and a twelve month high of $373.19. The firm has a market cap of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $11.73 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 4.44%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 170 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.92, for a total value of $54,216.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,671.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 170 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.92, for a total transaction of $54,216.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,082 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,939,671.44. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth $46,923,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% during 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. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $24,562,000. Woodson Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 114.6% in the 1st quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 142,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,643,000 after acquiring an additional 76,102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,296,000. Institutional investors 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.