Q1 EPS Forecast for Group 1 Automotive Reduced by Analyst

Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) – Research analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Group 1 Automotive in a report released on Tuesday, November 26th. Zacks Research analyst L. Shahu now forecasts that the company will earn $9.50 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $9.61. The consensus estimate for Group 1 Automotive’s current full-year earnings is $38.38 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Group 1 Automotive’s Q2 2025 earnings at $10.33 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $10.51 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $9.67 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $6.46 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $15.59 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $42.67 EPS.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $9.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.87 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $5.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.06 billion. Group 1 Automotive had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 2.68%. The company’s revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $12.07 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Group 1 Automotive from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $285.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Group 1 Automotive from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Group 1 Automotive from $420.00 to $442.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $394.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $425.20.

Group 1 Automotive Price Performance

GPI opened at $426.87 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $381.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $345.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Group 1 Automotive has a 1 year low of $255.73 and a 1 year high of $440.32. The firm has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.37 and a beta of 1.33.

Group 1 Automotive Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.01%.

Group 1 Automotive declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 12th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 9.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Group 1 Automotive

In other news, VP Edward Mckissic sold 79 shares of Group 1 Automotive stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $374.01, for a total value of $29,546.79. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,340,928.59. This trade represents a 1.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Group 1 Automotive

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 156,627 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,701,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Group 1 Automotive in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 305,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $117,080,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 244.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 56,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,573,000 after purchasing an additional 39,982 shares during the period. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Group 1 Automotive

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.