Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Friday.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $333.10 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $233.88 and a 12-month high of $341.84. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $299.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,541 shares of company stock worth $9,390,606 in the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,621,000 after buying an additional 203,543 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,981,000 after buying an additional 48,938 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,756,000 after acquiring an additional 5,390 shares during the period. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.2% in the third quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 217,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,960,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 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.