Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $361.00 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the twelve analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $361.00.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 111.4% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $276.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.47 billion, a PE ratio of 8.61, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $239.78 and a twelve month high of $360.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $269.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $303.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.79 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.