Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley raised 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 report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $402.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $366.72 and a 200 day moving average of $333.42. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $255.73 and a fifty-two week high of $413.36.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $12.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $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 available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $475,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,204 shares of the company’s stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 648.4% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 6,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,920,000 after acquiring an additional 5,693 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $1,305,000. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.