Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Lifted to “Buy” at Guggenheim

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by Guggenheim from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $305.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 15.89% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on GPI. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $330.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of GPI stock opened at $263.17 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $272.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 6.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.42. Group 1 Automotive has a 12-month low of $214.25 and a 12-month high of $310.08.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The company had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.41 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 24.36% and a net margin of 3.34%. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $10.86 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 159.6% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.