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

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $353.80.

A number of brokerages recently commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $382.84 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $312.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $282.34. 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 $388.36.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.25 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

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.