What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for GPI Q1 Earnings?

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report released on Wednesday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $9.45 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $9.50. The consensus estimate for Group 1 Automotive’s current full-year earnings is $40.86 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Group 1 Automotive’s Q2 2025 earnings at $10.44 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.68 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $40.58 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $43.68 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $54.15 EPS.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.25% and a net margin of 2.47%.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on GPI. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $460.33.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI stock opened at $481.64 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $439.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $397.68. Group 1 Automotive has a 52 week low of $258.77 and a 52 week high of $490.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 1.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 68 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 98,467 shares in the company, valued at $42,013,899.56. This trade represents a 5.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This is an increase from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.42%. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is 5.12%.

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.