Brokerages Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Price Target at $326.00

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $338.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Stephens started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price 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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,021 shares of company stock worth $6,534,617 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,823,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $929,679,000 after purchasing an additional 15,962 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 14.7% in the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,621,000 after acquiring an additional 203,543 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 7.2% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Cadian Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $105,370,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $320.83 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $231.36 and a 1-year high of $331.96. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $284.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $10.91 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 28.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.66%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

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.