Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $357.40.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD traded down $2.05 on Friday, hitting $345.20. 706,373 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,320. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $365.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $323.95. 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 (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,778,000. The trade was a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607 in the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trust Point Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $217,000. Financial Strategies Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Financial Strategies Group Inc. now owns 1,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $582,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $207,000. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 35.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,051 shares of the company's stock worth $376,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter.

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.