Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Price Target Lowered to $315.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $325.00 to $315.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price suggests a potential upside of 18.53% from the stock's current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $305.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.4 %

Group 1 Automotive stock traded down $3.88 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $265.76. 158,996 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,636. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.42. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $214.25 and a 1-year high of $310.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $272.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $273.68.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.44 by ($0.94). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 11.2% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 27,395 shares of the company's stock worth $4,597,000 after purchasing an additional 2,755 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 55.6% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the company's stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 3,257 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 8.4% in the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 14,828 shares of the company's stock worth $2,489,000 after purchasing an additional 1,147 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth approximately $727,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter worth approximately $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.92% of the company's stock.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.