Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report published on Tuesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $370.57 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.87 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $388.36. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $314.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $283.10.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 31.4% during the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 28,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,973,000 after purchasing an additional 6,755 shares during the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.5% in the third quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,297,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $204,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $246,000. Finally, OneAscent Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at $232,000.

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.