Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Several other research firms have also commented on LAD. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $357.60.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD opened at $390.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $328.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $288.50. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $391.14. The firm has a market cap of $10.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.27 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,698 shares of company stock worth $13,309,244 over the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter valued at about $80,000.

About Lithia Motors

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.