Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $357.60 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $357.60.

LAD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Stephens raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE LAD opened at $344.25 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $368.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $314.67. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.75, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 192,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,269,320. The trade was a 1.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the second quarter valued at $80,000.

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.