Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $362.40.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $340.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.3%

Lithia Motors stock opened at $321.43 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $301.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $334.37. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.04 and a 52 week high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.47.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.11 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 6.93%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $35,000.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.