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

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $357.60.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LAD. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at $69,778,000. The trade was a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth about $80,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $357.43 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $367.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.26. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. 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 (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend 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.