Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $371.36 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given 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 $371.36.

A number of research analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE LAD opened at $344.86 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $360.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $339.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Creative Planning increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth about $327,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 34,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,851,000 after acquiring an additional 3,263 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.