Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $326.00 Average PT from Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the ten analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $338.00.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LAD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stephens initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. 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 ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cadian Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $105,370,000. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,390,000 after purchasing an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted 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 worth $256,621,000 after purchasing an additional 203,543 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,609,000 after purchasing an additional 87,362 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 413.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 65,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,450,000 after purchasing an additional 52,458 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $320.83 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $284.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.12. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $231.36 and a 52-week high of $331.96. The company 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. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.66%. 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.