Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock Price Target Lowered at Barclays

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) had its price target trimmed by Barclays from $320.00 to $300.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $271.00 to $259.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $387.00 to $357.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Zacks Research cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $338.11.

Group 1 Automotive Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:GPI opened at $260.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $254.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $307.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.92. Group 1 Automotive has a 52-week low of $224.65 and a 52-week high of $429.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 1.02.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $9.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $9.50 by ($0.14). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 15.18%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $10.45 EPS. Group 1 Automotive’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will post 37.34 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Conifer Management, L.L.C. acquired 20,471 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $246.14 per share, with a total value of $5,038,731.94. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 2,012,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,305,060.60. This trade represents a 1.03% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven Mizell sold 550 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.52, for a total transaction of $143,286.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 33 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,597.16. This trade represents a 94.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 820,030 shares of company stock worth $211,496,571. Company insiders own 2.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 7,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,556,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 445.8% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 112.0% during the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Rhino Capital LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 652 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Group 1 Automotive

Here are the key news stories impacting Group 1 Automotive this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays lowered its price target from $320 to $300 but maintained an overweight rating, implying meaningful upside from recent levels. The revised target suggests the firm still expects Group 1 Automotive’s valuation and operating performance to improve. Barclays stock recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Some investors are refocusing on GPI’s potentially undervalued profile after the earnings report. The company remains profitable and trades at a relatively low earnings multiple, which could support the stock if automotive demand and margins stabilize. Group 1 Automotive Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reduced its price target from $271 to $259 and retained a neutral rating, signaling limited near-term upside at the current valuation. UBS Group stock recommendation
• Neutral Sentiment: New disclosures about the stockholder agreement with Conifer highlight potential governance, capital-allocation and shareholder-activism risks. The agreement may influence future strategic decisions but does not yet represent a direct change to operations. Conifer stockholder agreement analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS of $9.36 missed the $9.50 consensus, while revenue of $5.40 billion fell short of expectations and declined 6.7% year over year. EPS also decreased from $10.45 in the prior-year quarter, reinforcing concerns about slowing sales and profitability. Group 1 Automotive Q3 results and margins
• Negative Sentiment: Director Steven Mizell sold 550 shares for approximately $143,286, leaving him with only 33 shares. Separately, SVP Gillian Hobson sold 2,000 shares worth about $516,480, reducing her holdings by roughly 21%. The sales may weigh on sentiment, although they do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals. Group 1 Automotive insider sale filing

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates dealerships that sell new and used automobiles and light trucks from a broad range of manufacturers.

In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides automotive financing and insurance products, vehicle maintenance and repair, collision services, replacement parts, and other related services. Its dealerships also market vehicles through digital retailing platforms.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive serves customers through a network of dealerships and automotive service locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil.