Brokerages Set Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Target Price at $454.43

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $473.00.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total value of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 157,515 shares of the company’s stock worth $66,389,000 after buying an additional 888 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 74,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,653,000 after acquiring an additional 2,405 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 154,923 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 181.3% in the fourth quarter. Cinctive Capital Management LP now owns 21,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,986,000 after acquiring an additional 13,742 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 3.4%

GPI opened at $439.31 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The business has a 50 day moving average of $419.61 and a 200-day moving average of $427.16. Group 1 Automotive has a 52 week low of $279.86 and a 52 week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.49 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 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, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 5.61%.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.