What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for GPI Q1 Earnings?

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $9.45 for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $9.50. The consensus estimate for Group 1 Automotive’s current full-year earnings is $40.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Group 1 Automotive’s Q2 2025 earnings at $10.44 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.68 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $40.58 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $43.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $54.15 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on GPI. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set 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. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com raised Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $481.64 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $258.77 and a 1-year high of $490.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 1.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $439.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $397.35.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.25%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is presently 5.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 133.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 407,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,253,000 after purchasing an additional 232,846 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $65,721,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter worth $37,119,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 161,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,949,000 after buying an additional 84,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3,663.1% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 55,280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,174,000 after acquiring an additional 53,811 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.