StockNews.com Downgrades Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) to Sell

StockNews.com lowered shares of Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Tuesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America dropped their price target 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, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 1.0 %

GPI opened at $361.86 on Tuesday. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $228.84 and a 1 year high of $393.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $364.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $324.46. 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 company has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 8.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.36 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 20.53% and a net margin of 3.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $11.73 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 4.44%.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 14.7% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 46,483 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,805,000 after purchasing an additional 5,942 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 43.7% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter valued at about $345,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter valued at about $241,000. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 33.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 3,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,464,000 after purchasing an additional 949 shares during the period. 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.