Group 1 Automotive (GPI) Expected to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) is expected to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, January 29th. Analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post earnings of $8.77 per share and revenue of $5,215,200.00 billion for the quarter. Individual interested in registering for the company's earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.68% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $12.07 EPS. The business's revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Group 1 Automotive to post $38 EPS for the current fiscal year and $40 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI stock traded down $7.14 on Wednesday, hitting $440.48. 135,878 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 112,506. The stock has a market cap of $5.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.74 and a beta of 1.36. Group 1 Automotive has a 1-year low of $255.73 and a 1-year high of $456.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $424.96 and a 200-day moving average of $379.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 9.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on GPI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $425.00 to $420.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Group 1 Automotive from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $285.00 to $430.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $436.83.

Insider Activity 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 dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $426.68, for a total value of $2,560,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 at this hyperlink. Also, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 6,259 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.