Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Sell"

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Evercore ISI began coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE LAD traded down $0.80 on Thursday, reaching $260.14. The company had a trading volume of 449,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 205,873. The stock's 50 day moving average is $287.78 and its 200-day moving average is $284.28. The stock has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.17, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $205.97 and a 52 week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The firm's revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.05 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 35.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FourThought Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company's stock valued at $530,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,150,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. State of Wyoming raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 35.2% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 196 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 32.0% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period.

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.

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