Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) PT Lowered to $315.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its target price decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $325.00 to $315.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on GPI. StockNews.com cut Group 1 Automotive from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, February 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $330.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised Group 1 Automotive from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $200.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Guggenheim raised Group 1 Automotive from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $331.67.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GPI opened at $265.68 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $271.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.64. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $214.25 and a 52-week high of $310.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.42.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.44 by ($0.94). The business had revenue of $4.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.41 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 3.34% and a return on equity of 24.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $10.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive will post 38.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This is a positive change from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GPI. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 159.6% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 122 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 54.6% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. 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.