Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $458.00 and last traded at $454.33, with a volume of 12050 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $449.57.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $436.83.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.19 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $428.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $384.80.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. As a group, analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 38.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 12th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Group 1 Automotive

In other Group 1 Automotive news, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total transaction of $2,560,080.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 98,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,013,899.56. The trade was a 5.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,340,928.59. This represents a 1.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 51.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 82 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.