StockNews.com Upgrades Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) to Hold

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Stephens raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $333.10 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $299.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $275.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $233.88 and a 52 week high of $341.84.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on 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 $10,744,821.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,541 shares of company stock valued at $9,390,606. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the second quarter worth about $80,000.

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.