Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Trading Down 3% - What's Next?

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) shares traded down 3% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $393.08 and last traded at $392.69. 25,748 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 144,230 shares. The stock had previously closed at $405.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $450.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $420.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $415.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 1.05.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company's stock worth $217,312,000 after buying an additional 107,663 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,075,000 after acquiring an additional 9,587 shares in the last quarter. Advent International L.P. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% in the fourth quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company's stock worth $85,961,000 after acquiring an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,949,000 after acquiring an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 10.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 157,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,581,000 after purchasing an additional 15,280 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.