Group 1 Automotive (GPI) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) is projected to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, January 29th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $8.77 per share and revenue of $5,215,200.00 billion for the quarter. Investors interested in listening to the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The business had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $12.07 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post $38 EPS for the current fiscal year and $40 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $447.87 on Wednesday. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $255.73 and a 1-year high of $456.68. The company has a market cap of $5.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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’s 50-day moving average is $424.50 and its 200 day moving average is $379.07.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. 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 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at $2,340,928.59. The trade was a 1.25 % 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed 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 on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $436.83.

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.