Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $319.45 Average Price Target from Analysts

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $319.45.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim downgraded Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.1% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,385,000 after acquiring an additional 8,862 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 20,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,836,000 after acquiring an additional 2,992 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 95.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 12,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,736,000 after acquiring an additional 6,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $4,608,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.1 %

NYSE LAD opened at $257.09 on Friday. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $231.36 and a 52 week high of $331.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.62. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $261.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.47.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.44 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 28.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.26%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc operates as an automotive retailer worldwide. It operates in two segments, Vehicle Operations and Financing Operations. The company's Vehicle Operations segment sells new and used vehicles; provides parts, repair, and maintenance services; vehicle finance; and insurance products.