Group 1 Automotive (GPI) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) is scheduled to be releasing its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post earnings of $9.58 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.44 by ($0.94). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The business had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $10.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post $39 EPS for the current fiscal year and $40 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $269.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $272.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $273.73. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $214.25 and a 1-year high of $310.08. The firm has a market cap of $3.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,726,000 after purchasing an additional 1,014 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 119.8% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 29,612 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,023,000 after buying an additional 16,141 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $312,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 31.0% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 491 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th.

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.