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 released on Friday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on LAD. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an outperform rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $320.82.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $262.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $282.64 and a 200-day moving average of $283.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.44 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 33.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 80.2% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period.

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.