Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $447.83.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after buying an additional 232,846 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 596.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 76,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,259,000 after buying an additional 65,414 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after purchasing an additional 53,811 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the 4th quarter valued at $21,608,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $473.75 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Group 1 Automotive has a 12-month low of $258.77 and a 12-month high of $489.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $433.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $391.13.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.25%. On average, analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 40.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.12%.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.