Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $260.84 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $286.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.09. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.05 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 35.35 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,823,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $929,679,000 after acquiring an additional 15,962 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Lithia Motors by 3.8% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 807,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,459,000 after acquiring an additional 29,352 shares in the last quarter. MFN Partners Management LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 43.0% in the first quarter. MFN Partners Management LP now owns 751,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,413,000 after acquiring an additional 225,806 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 678,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,414,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 615,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $187,081,000 after buying an additional 13,723 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.