Key Points
- Auto Trader chairman Matt Davies bought 5,643 shares on May 27 at GBX 443 each, following another purchase of 5,532 shares the week before. The repeated insider buying may indicate management confidence after the stock’s recent weakness.
- The company recently reported solid quarterly results, including EPS of GBX 34.17 and revenue of £624.3 million, with a strong return on equity of 60.53% and net margin of 47.08%.
- Despite insider support, analyst sentiment remains cautious, with recent target cuts from JPMorgan, UBS, and Berenberg contributing to an average “Reduce” rating and a consensus price target of GBX 553.40.
Auto Trader Group plc (LON:AUTO - Get Free Report) insider Matt Davies bought 5,643 shares of Auto Trader Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 443 per share, for a total transaction of £24,998.49.
Matt Davies also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, May 21st, Matt Davies bought 5,532 shares of Auto Trader Group stock. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 452 per share, for a total transaction of £25,004.64.
Auto Trader Group Stock Performance
Shares of AUTO stock opened at GBX 444 on Thursday. Auto Trader Group plc has a one year low of GBX 431.40 and a one year high of GBX 906. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 50.60, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The business's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 484.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 538.21. The stock has a market capitalization of £3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35, a PEG ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.69.
Auto Trader Group (LON:AUTO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The company reported GBX 34.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Auto Trader Group had a return on equity of 60.53% and a net margin of 47.08%.The firm had revenue of £624.30 million for the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Auto Trader Group plc will post 32.7973074 earnings per share for the current year.
Auto Trader Group News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Auto Trader Group this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Chairman Matt Davies bought 5,643 shares at GBX 443, adding to a cluster of recent insider purchases that can signal confidence in the business and its valuation. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Other insiders also recently bought shares, including Jamie Warner, Jasvinder Gakhal, Megan Quinn, Nathan Coe, Geeta Gopalan, and Adam Jay, reinforcing the message that management may see value after the stock’s pullback.
- Neutral Sentiment: Auto Trader reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of GBX 34.17 and revenue of £624.3 million, while maintaining strong profitability metrics such as a 60.53% return on equity.
- Negative Sentiment: Berenberg Bank cut its price target from GBX 580 to GBX 510 and kept a “hold” rating, adding to a broader trend of cautious analyst views.
- Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst actions from JPMorgan and UBS also leaned negative, contributing to pressure on the shares even as insiders were buying.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
AUTO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Auto Trader Group from GBX 515 to GBX 445 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group reissued a "sell" rating and issued a GBX 470 price target on shares of Auto Trader Group in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Auto Trader Group from GBX 880 to GBX 526 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Auto Trader Group from GBX 850 to GBX 816 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reduced their target price on Auto Trader Group from GBX 580 to GBX 510 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Auto Trader Group presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of GBX 553.40.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on AUTO
About Auto Trader Group
(
Get Free Report)
Autotrader Group plc is the UK's largest automotive marketplace and a leading digital platform for the automotive industry. Listed on the London Stock Exchange since March 2015, the company is a member of the FTSE 100 Index.
Autotrader's purpose is Driving Change Together. Responsibly. The company uses advanced data science, artificial intelligence and scalable technology to improve how vehicles are bought and sold, while building stronger partnerships with its customers and the wider automotive ecosystem.
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