JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase raised its price target on Group 1 Automotive from $385 to $390 and kept an "overweight" rating, implying roughly 11.9% upside from the recent share price.
• The stock carries a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (seven Buys, three Holds) with a consensus target of $450, indicating broader analyst optimism above JPMorgan's target.
• Group 1 missed quarterly estimates with $8.66 EPS (vs. $8.82 expected) and slightly lower revenue, while shares trade near $348.49 with a P/E of 13.3, underscoring valuation metrics behind analyst forecasts.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $385.00 to $390.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.91% from the company's current price.

GPI has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Evercore started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $490.00 to $420.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays raised their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Bank of America began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Benchmark raised Group 1 Automotive from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $450.00.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

GPI traded up $4.52 on Thursday, hitting $348.49. The company had a trading volume of 67,212 shares, compared to its average volume of 175,128. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The company's fifty day moving average price is $328.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $369.08. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $292.44 and a 1-year high of $488.39.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The firm had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $10.17 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 42.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 23,756 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,854,000 after buying an additional 2,740 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,734 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,556,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 51.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 78,794 shares of the company's stock worth $26,064,000 after purchasing an additional 26,822 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 27.1% in the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 694 shares of the company's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3,268.9% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,470 shares of the company's stock worth $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 3,367 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 NYSE: GPI is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

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