Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an equal weight rating and a $394.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $358.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.32. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $362.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $320.49. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. The company 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%. Group 1 Automotive’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.73 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Group 1 Automotive news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total transaction of $421,188.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares in the company, valued at $3,419,344.58. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 22.0% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 639,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,004,000 after acquiring an additional 115,143 shares in the last quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 114.6% in the first quarter. Woodson Capital Management LP now owns 142,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,643,000 after purchasing an additional 76,102 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at about $21,296,000. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 66.4% in the 4th quarter. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC now owns 84,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,893,000 after buying an additional 33,901 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shellback Capital LP grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 27.1% in the 2nd quarter. Shellback Capital LP now owns 95,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,331,000 after buying an additional 20,302 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.