Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Lowered to “Neutral” Rating by Guggenheim

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was downgraded by stock analysts at Guggenheim from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $454.43.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $439.71 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $404.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $422.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $279.86 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The company has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.96 and a beta of 0.94.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,312,000 after acquiring an additional 107,663 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,075,000 after purchasing an additional 9,587 shares during the period. Advent International L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% in the 4th quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,961,000 after purchasing an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $74,499,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 180,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,973,000 after purchasing an additional 3,277 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.