Stephens Reaffirms "Equal Weight" Rating for Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG)

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating restated by analysts at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $140.00 target price on the stock. Stephens' price target would suggest a potential downside of 12.22% from the stock's previous close.

PAG has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Penske Automotive Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Citigroup assumed coverage on Penske Automotive Group in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Penske Automotive Group from $165.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.00.

Penske Automotive Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:PAG traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $159.49. 144,976 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 195,362. The company has a market cap of $10.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.60 and a beta of 0.90. Penske Automotive Group has a one year low of $134.05 and a one year high of $180.12. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $152.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $3.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.12. Penske Automotive Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 3.02%. The business had revenue of $7.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.21 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Penske Automotive Group will post 13.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Penske Automotive Group

In related news, EVP Claude H. Denker III sold 8,746 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.03, for a total transaction of $1,513,320.38. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 28,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,003,508.51. This trade represents a 23.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John Barr sold 1,529 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.45, for a total transaction of $237,683.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 52.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Penske Automotive Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Penske Automotive Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Penske Automotive Group by 421.5% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 339 shares of the company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Penske Automotive Group in the 4th quarter valued at $76,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Penske Automotive Group by 31.0% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 528 shares of the company's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. 77.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Penske Automotive Group Company Profile

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.