Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.
A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.45.
Get Our Latest Report on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.1 %
Shares of LAD stock traded up $3.88 on Tuesday, reaching $353.64. The company had a trading volume of 100,920 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,434. The company has a 50-day moving average of $369.22 and a 200-day moving average of $317.42. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.07, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67. 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 business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors
In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596 over the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,621,000 after purchasing an additional 203,543 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,311,000 after purchasing an additional 120,749 shares during the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% in the 3rd quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company's stock worth $34,187,000 after buying an additional 105,611 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company's stock worth $40,609,000 after buying an additional 87,362 shares during the last quarter.
Lithia Motors Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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