Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Lowered to $380.00 at Barclays

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price cut by Barclays from $390.00 to $380.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $355.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $388.90.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $301.52 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $332.37 and its 200-day moving average is $321.43. The company has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 1.20. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $262.10 and a 52-week high of $378.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.79 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth about $148,540,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $58,409,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $39,342,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 183.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 162,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,149,000 after buying an additional 105,478 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hook Mill Capital Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $29,130,000.

About Lithia Motors

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.