Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

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

GPI has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America cut their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an equal weight rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $356.87 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a 50 day moving average of $362.90 and a 200-day moving average of $322.91. Group 1 Automotive has a one year low of $228.84 and a one year high of $393.93.

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

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were paid a $0.47 dividend. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.53%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is currently 4.44%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GPI. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,832 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 17.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 267 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 1.7% during the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $848,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 53.7% in the second quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.