Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $357.60 Average Target Price from Analysts

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $357.60.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $376.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $348.36 and its 200 day moving average is $298.93. The company has a market cap of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.86, a P/E/G ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 1.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter valued at approximately $80,000.

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.