Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $441.25.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on GPI shares. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $338.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GPI. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 366,770.5% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,431,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,002,195,000 after acquiring an additional 25,424,532 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter worth about $98,125,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 968.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,931,000 after acquiring an additional 76,514 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 34.8% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 226,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,278,000 after acquiring an additional 58,641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC raised its position in Group 1 Automotive by 365.9% in the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 63,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,992,000 after acquiring an additional 50,248 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $331.64 on Thursday. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $292.44 and a fifty-two week high of $488.39. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $331.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $360.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.87.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company had revenue of $5.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $10.17 earnings per share. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 42.22 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 8.40%.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.