Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Benchmark started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Guggenheim downgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $510.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $485.00 target price on Group 1 Automotive and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $479.43.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of GPI opened at $442.26 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $437.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $429.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.05. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $336.33 and a 52-week high of $490.09. The company has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.19, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.83.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The company reported $11.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.31 by $1.21. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.10% and a net margin of 2.18%. The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven Mizell sold 525 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $417.98, for a total transaction of $219,439.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,343.84. The trade was a 98.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Daniel James Mchenry sold 3,000 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $441.71, for a total value of $1,325,130.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,365,072.54. This trade represents a 15.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 119.4% in 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 during the period. MAI Capital Management grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 131.3% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 74 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 90.5% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 80 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter valued at about $43,000. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.