Brokerages Set Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Price Target at $437.67

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $437.67.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on GPI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens initiated coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 8.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 40,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,052,000 after purchasing an additional 3,095 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 10.8% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 3,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter worth approximately $168,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at $1,611,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $426.18 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $401.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $360.87. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $440.32. The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.36 and a beta of 1.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $12.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.