Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

GPI has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $386.07 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $356.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $315.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $228.84 and a fifty-two week high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $4.70 billion for 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 20.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $11.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GPI. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,923,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $190,004,000 after acquiring an additional 115,143 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $24,562,000. Woodson Capital Management LP lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 114.6% during the 1st quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 142,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,643,000 after acquiring an additional 76,102 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $21,296,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

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.