Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Trading 7.1% Higher

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) rose 7.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $304.87 and last traded at $299.37. Approximately 73,494 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 46% from the average daily volume of 136,519 shares. The stock had previously closed at $279.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GPI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Guggenheim raised Group 1 Automotive from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $325.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s fifty day moving average is $272.31 and its 200 day moving average is $274.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $4.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.41 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 22.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $10.86 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 39.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 yield of 0.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.44%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 4.6% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 44.3% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 37.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 213 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sawgrass Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $397,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.