Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Sell

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on LAD. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $386.00.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $279.72 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $323.09 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.77. The company has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.20. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $262.10 and a twelve month high of $360.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.79 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

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 transaction of $27,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,810 shares in the company, valued at $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,601,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $557,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.0% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 263,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,158,000 after buying an additional 7,558 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,342,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $548,000.

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.