Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Friday.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $333.10 on Friday. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $233.88 and a fifty-two week high of $341.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $299.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $275.17. The company has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 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 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,541 shares of company stock valued at $9,390,606. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 13.3% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter.

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.