Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $353.80.

Several brokerages have recently commented on LAD. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stephens lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.2 %

LAD stock traded down $8.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $374.43. 56,991 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 258,430. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $388.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $312.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $282.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. Lithia Motors's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.25 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company's stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company's stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company's stock worth $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period.

About Lithia Motors

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.