Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Outlook for GPI Earnings

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Group 1 Automotive in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 16th. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $10.02 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $9.44. The consensus estimate for Group 1 Automotive's current full-year earnings is $41.00 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Group 1 Automotive's Q2 2026 earnings at $10.19 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $14.38 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $47.01 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $435.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $463.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $470.14.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI traded up $1.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $407.33. The stock had a trading volume of 19,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 151,218. The business has a fifty day moving average of $440.95 and a 200 day moving average of $431.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.90. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $298.92 and a 12 month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $5.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.37 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 2.27%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.49 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 24.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,613 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $405.57, for a total transaction of $654,184.41. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,260 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,350,008.20. This represents a 16.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 16,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This represents a 15.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's payout ratio is 5.61%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.