Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $320.82.

LAD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Craig Hallum dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $257.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of 7.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $284.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.41. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $206.69 and a twelve month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.44 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $325,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,600,000 after purchasing an additional 2,178 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 5,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,697,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, California First Leasing Corp increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. California First Leasing Corp now owns 7,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,305,000 after acquiring an additional 1,659 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.