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

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three 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 analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $382.50.

Several research firms recently commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $345.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $305.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $3.91 on Friday, hitting $314.05. The company had a trading volume of 144,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 333,891. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $247.01 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The business has a 50 day moving average of $328.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $325.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.30% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.11 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. 111 Capital acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth $244,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,116 shares of the company's stock worth $715,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter worth about $206,000. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,826 shares of the company's stock worth $1,968,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 95,690 shares of the company's stock worth $32,326,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares during 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.