Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $365.91 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $365.91.

LAD has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $290.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $319.35 and a 200 day moving average of $341.91. The firm has a market cap of $7.65 billion, a PE ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

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.