Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

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 report issued on Friday.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on GPI. Citigroup lifted 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 note on Tuesday, May 13th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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 note on Thursday, March 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $473.00.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI traded down $2.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $436.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 120,475 shares, compared to its average volume of 148,341. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $426.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $427.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a twelve month low of $279.86 and a twelve month high of $535.10.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The company reported $10.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast 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 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 value of $654,184.41. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,260 shares in the company, valued at $3,350,008.20. The trade was a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares in the company, valued at $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised 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 buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 59.3% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 188 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company's stock.

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.