Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $389.10.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 114.6% during the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at $31,000.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.2%

Lithia Motors stock opened at $336.51 on Friday. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $262.10 and a 1 year high of $405.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $321.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $321.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74 and a beta of 1.18.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.53 by $0.97. The company had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.38 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.42%. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $8.21 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.37%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.