Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $454.43.

Several research firms recently weighed in on GPI. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive 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 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

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.8%

Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $7.93 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $434.65. 163,265 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,214. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $416.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $427.14. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $279.86 and a fifty-two week high of $490.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.83 and a beta of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.49 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.61%.

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.