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

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $382.3333.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LAD. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $257.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $293.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $312.27. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $239.78 and a twelve month high of $360.55.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). The business had revenue of $9.20 billion during 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.79 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 67.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 113,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,272,000 after purchasing an additional 45,716 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 93,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,349,000 after purchasing an additional 13,407 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.4% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,868,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 60,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,413 shares during the period.

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.