Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $326.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Stephens initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in Lithia Motors by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 30,282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,971,000 after acquiring an additional 2,601 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 4,620 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,521,000 after buying an additional 1,198 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 100,664 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,147,000 after acquiring an additional 25,523 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 989.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 15,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,946,000 after acquiring an additional 13,626 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 96.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.9 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $299.70 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $279.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.85, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $231.36 and a 52 week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $10.91 EPS. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 28.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio 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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.