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

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $365.91.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

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Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.6 %

LAD traded down $4.72 during trading on Friday, reaching $286.26. 70,045 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 312,233. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 9.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $321.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $342.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $152,752,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $113,250,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 137.8% in the 4th quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 460,298 shares of the company's stock worth $164,524,000 after buying an additional 266,715 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $91,190,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $46,505,000.

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.