Brokerages Expect Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) to Post $8.92 EPS

Wall Street brokerages expect Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) to report earnings per share (EPS) of $8.92 for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Two analysts have made estimates for Group 1 Automotive’s earnings, with estimates ranging from $8.75 to $9.02. Group 1 Automotive reported earnings of $5.66 per share during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 57.6{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}. The firm is scheduled to announce its next earnings results on Thursday, February 3rd.

On average, analysts expect that Group 1 Automotive will report full year earnings of $34.38 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $34.25 to $34.54. For the next financial year, analysts expect that the firm will report earnings of $34.00 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $30.57 to $36.54. Zacks Investment Research’s earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side analysts that follow Group 1 Automotive.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 27th. The company reported $9.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $9.09 by $0.53. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 33.92{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} and a net margin of 4.23{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}. The firm had revenue of $3.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.41 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.97 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 15.4{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} compared to the same quarter last year.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GPI. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Group 1 Automotive from $206.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 17th. Zacks Investment Research cut Group 1 Automotive from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $201.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, October 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $229.20.

In related news, CEO Earl J. Hesterberg sold 13,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.30, for a total transaction of $2,460,900.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lincoln Pereira sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.06, for a total value of $1,005,300.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 39,576 shares of company stock worth $7,892,837 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.20{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} of the company’s stock.

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Group 1 Automotive by 5.2{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 28,464 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,396,000 after acquiring an additional 1,410 shares during the period. Kendall Capital Management grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 18.1{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} in the second quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 2,125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 11.6{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} in the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth about $100,000. Finally, Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its position in Group 1 Automotive by 19.2{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} during the second quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after buying an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.14{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91} of the company’s stock.

NYSE:GPI opened at $202.57 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive has a fifty-two week low of $115.19 and a fifty-two week high of $212.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 6.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.71. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $195.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $176.12.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 30th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}. Group 1 Automotive’s payout ratio is presently 4.57{7b5a5d0e414f5ae9befbbfe0565391237b22ed5a572478ce6579290fab1e7f91}.

Group 1 Automotive Company Profile

Group 1 Automotive, Inc engages in the automotive retailing industry. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: U.S, the UK, and Brazil. It also sells new and used cars and light trucks, arranges related vehicle financing, sells service contracts, provides automotive maintenance and repair services, and sells vehicle parts.

See Also: Outperform Rating

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