Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) was upgraded by investment analysts at UBS Group to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

GPI has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $460.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Benchmark upgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $425.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $441.25.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

NYSE GPI opened at $331.64 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $292.44 and a 1 year high of $488.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $331.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $360.16. The company has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.87.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $8.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.82 by ($0.16). Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 1.46% and a return on equity of 16.63%. The company had revenue of $5.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $10.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive will post 42.22 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 3.0% in the first quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 25,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,363,000 after purchasing an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Group 1 Automotive by 85.6% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 3,285 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,086,000 after buying an additional 1,515 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 23.9% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 14,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,941,000 after buying an additional 2,879 shares during the period. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 11.2% in the first quarter. Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb L.P. now owns 4,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,327,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 74.2% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 39,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,964,000 after acquiring an additional 16,706 shares in the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc (NYSE: GPI) is an international automotive retailer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company operates an extensive network of franchised dealerships, offering new and pre-owned vehicles from leading domestic and import manufacturers. In addition to vehicle sales, Group 1 Automotive provides a full complement of aftersales services, including finance and insurance products, parts distribution, collision repair centers and vehicle maintenance.

Founded in 1997, Group 1 Automotive has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to establish a presence across the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil.