Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $450.33.

GPI has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $460.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Thursday, January 30th.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of Group 1 Automotive stock traded up $4.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $394.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 157,647. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $440.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $414.35. Group 1 Automotive has a one year low of $262.31 and a one year high of $490.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 1.05.

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Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.09% and a net margin of 2.47%. As a group, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive's previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Group 1 Automotive's dividend payout ratio is 5.44%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 541,766 shares of the company's stock worth $207,518,000 after acquiring an additional 10,969 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 515,593 shares of the company's stock worth $217,312,000 after buying an additional 107,663 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 396,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,075,000 after buying an additional 9,587 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company's stock valued at $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, Advent International L.P. increased its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 65.7% during the fourth quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 203,951 shares of the company's stock worth $85,961,000 after acquiring an additional 80,870 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.