Brokerages Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Price Target at $337.70

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat 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 twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $350.80.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total value of $3,472,286.68. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,021 shares of company stock worth $6,534,617 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.5% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $987,000 after buying an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 78.5% during the third quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $248,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $234,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $335.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $231.36 and a one year high of $341.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a fifty day moving average of $299.06 and a 200 day moving average of $274.82.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.25 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 28.74 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.63%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 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.