Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD – Get Rating) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $300.56.

A number of research firms recently commented on LAD. TheStreet raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $200.00 to $198.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $332.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $214.86 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $223.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $228.80. The company has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.38. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $180.00 and a 1 year high of $314.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.33.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The company reported $8.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.79 by ($0.35). The business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.28 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 3.99%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $11.96 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 11th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 4.90%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider George N. Hines sold 1,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.55, for a total transaction of $327,129.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 5,142 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,128,926.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 167 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $43,420.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $434,720. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider George N. Hines sold 1,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.55, for a total transaction of $327,129.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 5,142 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,128,926.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,857 shares of company stock worth $415,500. Company insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 1,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 226 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lithia Motors

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Lithia Motors, Inc engages in the operation of automotive franchises and retail of new and used vehicles. It operates through the following segments: Domestic, Import and Luxury. The Domestic segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford.