Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) Stock: Insider Gillian Hobson Sells 2,000 Shares

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) SVP Gillian Hobson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.24, for a total value of $516,480.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 7,543 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,947,904.32. The trade was a 20.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Performance

Shares of GPI opened at $260.61 on Friday. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 12 month low of $224.65 and a 12 month high of $429.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $254.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $307.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 7.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.92.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported $9.36 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.50 by ($0.14). Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 15.18% and a net margin of 1.75%. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $10.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 37.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders 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 (DPR) is currently 6.96%.

Institutional Trading of Group 1 Automotive

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the second quarter worth $593,420,000. Conifer Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter worth $281,561,390. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Group 1 Automotive by 1.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 688,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $227,612,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares during the period. Lakewood Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter valued at $72,098,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Group 1 Automotive during the second quarter valued at $57,174,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.92% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting 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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GPI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $232.00 in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Group 1 Automotive from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Evercore set a $360.00 price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $271.00 to $259.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $338.11.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.