Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Upgraded to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

LAD has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup increased 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective 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. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stephens lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.60.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $386.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.21, a P/E/G ratio of 6.34 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $340.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $293.68.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 23.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 58,067 shares of company stock valued at $20,933,294 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at about $607,000. Comerica Bank boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 89.0% during the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,774,000 after purchasing an additional 13,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,609,000 after purchasing an additional 87,362 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.