Research Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Changes for Lithia Motors (LAD)

Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD) recently received a number of ratings updates from brokerages and research firms:

• 11/5/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $375.00 to $405.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 11/4/2024 – Lithia Motors was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating.
• 10/25/2024 – Lithia Motors was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 10/24/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at Stephens from $360.00 to $405.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 10/24/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $299.00 to $343.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 10/24/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at Guggenheim from $350.00 to $380.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 10/15/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target lowered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $302.00 to $299.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 9/27/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $280.00 to $320.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 9/25/2024 – Lithia Motors was upgraded by analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating. They now have a $310.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $225.00.
• 9/12/2024 – Lithia Motors is now covered by analysts at Stephens. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock.
• 9/10/2024 – Lithia Motors had its price target raised by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $315.00 to $375.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $369.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $375.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $308.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $279.73.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.99 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of Lithia Motors 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,621,000 after buying an additional 203,543 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,981,000 after acquiring an additional 48,938 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,997,000 after acquiring an additional 78,784 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,756,000 after acquiring an additional 5,390 shares during the period.

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.