Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44, Yahoo Finance reports. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $11.73 EPS.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE GPI traded down $3.93 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $333.22. 146,313 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 135,477. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 7.96, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $303.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $287.04. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $228.84 and a 12 month high of $340.99.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were issued a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.63, for a total transaction of $412,482.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,398,557.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.63, for a total transaction of $412,482.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,398,557.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 2,437 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.61, for a total transaction of $754,519.57. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 22,430 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,944,552.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,007 shares of company stock worth $1,221,218 in the last 90 days. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GPI has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $315.00 to $310.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.17.

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.