Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

GPI has been the topic of a number of other research reports. 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 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of GPI opened at $344.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.14, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50-day moving average of $364.83 and a 200 day moving average of $326.09. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $228.84 and a 1-year high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $11.73 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.39 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’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 value of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter worth $21,296,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 52.3% in the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $633,000 after buying an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 91,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,856,000 after buying an additional 11,300 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,808 shares of the company’s stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the first quarter valued at approximately $247,000. 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.