Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $450.33.

Several research firms recently commented on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,518,000 after purchasing an additional 10,969 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,312,000 after acquiring an additional 107,663 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,075,000 after acquiring an additional 9,587 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,080,000 after acquiring an additional 1,985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advent International L.P. raised its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,961,000 after purchasing an additional 80,870 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $399.05 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $439.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $414.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $262.31 and a 12 month high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

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.