Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives $472.29 Average Price Target from Analysts

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $472.2857.

A number of research firms recently commented on GPI. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $560.00 to $545.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $435.00 to $410.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $510.00 target price on the stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at $26,000. MAI Capital Management boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.8% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.3%

GPI opened at $392.27 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.89. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $400.54 and its 200-day moving average is $429.63. Group 1 Automotive has a one year low of $355.91 and a one year high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $10.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.64 by ($0.19). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.08% and a net margin of 1.67%.The firm had revenue of $5.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.90 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 11th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 10.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.00%.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.