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

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the seven analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $454.43.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Guggenheim cut Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on 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.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

GPI traded down $9.60 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $424.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 123,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 143,626. The stock has a market cap of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $418.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $427.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $279.86 and a twelve month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.49 EPS. The company's revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.61%.

Insider Activity

In other Group 1 Automotive news, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $74,499,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,721,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company's stock worth $217,312,000 after acquiring an additional 107,663 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,039,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 74,711.6% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 90,522 shares of the company's stock worth $345,750,000 after acquiring an additional 90,401 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

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.