Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $371.36 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $371.36.

Several analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.8 %

LAD stock opened at $306.60 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.68. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $346.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $341.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

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.