Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Friday.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on GPI. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of 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, Stephens started 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 objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Group 1 Automotive has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $396.80.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 1.3 %

Group 1 Automotive stock opened at $368.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.99 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70, 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 current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The business’s fifty day moving average is $361.99 and its 200 day moving average is $319.68. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $9.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.36 by $0.44. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.03% and a return on equity of 20.53%. The company had revenue of $4.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $11.73 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 39.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Group 1 Automotive

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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 9,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,419,344.58. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 4,058 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,554,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 87.6% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 741 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,235,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 48.4% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 7,079 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,105,000 after buying an additional 2,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning grew its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $854,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.