Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $397.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $402.07 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $334.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.71, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $413.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.00.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion during 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 company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $12.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $475,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 648.4% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 6,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after buying an additional 5,693 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,305,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $205,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.