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

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat 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 brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $337.70.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $302.00 to $299.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.8 %

LAD opened at $315.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company’s 50-day moving average is $295.45 and its 200 day moving average is $273.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $10.91 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 28.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $245,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 46.2% in the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $604,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $327,000. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 53.7% in the 3rd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,208,000 after buying an additional 2,427 shares during the period.

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.