Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

GPI has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $473.00.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $5.30 on Friday, hitting $438.82. 399,321 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 148,404. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 12.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.91. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $426.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $427.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Group 1 Automotive has a one year low of $279.86 and a one year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.68 by $0.49. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 2.27%. The business had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.49 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 23.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. This trade represents a 16.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. The trade was a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 571 shares of the company's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,038,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 1,302 shares of the company's stock worth $497,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.