Analysts Set Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) PT at $172.50

Shares of Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $172.50.

A number of analysts have commented on PAG shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Penske Automotive Group from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded Penske Automotive Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of Penske Automotive Group in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Benchmark initiated coverage on Penske Automotive Group in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Penske Automotive Group Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:PAG opened at $165.70 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.05 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $161.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.63. Penske Automotive Group has a 12-month low of $142.32 and a 12-month high of $180.12.

Penske Automotive Group (NYSE:PAG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The company reported $3.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.37 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $7.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.56 billion. Penske Automotive Group had a return on equity of 18.05% and a net margin of 3.02%. Equities analysts anticipate that Penske Automotive Group will post 13.86 EPS for the current year.

Penske Automotive Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 24th will be given a $1.22 dividend. This is an increase from Penske Automotive Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 24th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. Penske Automotive Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.49%.

Insider Transactions at Penske Automotive Group

In other Penske Automotive Group news, EVP Claude H. Denker III sold 8,746 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.03, for a total transaction of $1,513,320.38. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 28,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,003,508.51. This trade represents a 23.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 51.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of PAG. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $417,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,946 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC now owns 10,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,617,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Penske Automotive Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 16,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,704,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.08% of the company’s stock.

About Penske Automotive Group

Penske Automotive Group, Inc, a diversified transportation services company, operates automotive and commercial truck dealerships worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Retail Automotive, Retail Commercial Truck, Other, and Non-Automotive Investments. It operates dealerships under franchise agreements with various automotive manufacturers and distributors.