Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Given New $426.00 Price Target at Guggenheim

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) had its target price trimmed by Guggenheim from $502.00 to $426.00 in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 note on Thursday, March 27th. Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $449.86.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE:GPI traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $406.97. 161,721 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 143,486. The company has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $412.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $416.51. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $279.86 and a 52-week high of $490.09. 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 (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 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. The company had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.49%. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth approximately $272,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,701,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Range Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth approximately $416,000. 99.92% of the stock is 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.