Analysts Set Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Price Target at $437.67

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $437.67.

Several brokerages have issued reports on GPI. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In related news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total transaction of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth $46,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 270 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.2 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $419.99 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $5.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.19 and a beta of 1.35. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $255.73 and a 12 month high of $440.32. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $398.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $358.86.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $12.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.37 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.