Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Issues Earnings Results

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.93 by ($0.03), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.83% and a net margin of 2.68%. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $12.07 EPS.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE GPI traded up $1.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $366.08. 28,595 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,257. The company has a market capitalization of $4.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 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 has a 50-day simple moving average of $365.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $329.12. Group 1 Automotive has a 12 month low of $255.73 and a 12 month high of $393.93.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 5.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Michael David Jones sold 1,200 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.99, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $445.00 to $435.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $360.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $396.80.

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.