Brokerages Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Target Price at $320.82

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $320.82.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on LAD. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $262.72 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $282.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $283.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.76, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $206.69 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. The business’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 33.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 5.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 40.3% in the 1st quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 73,498 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,113,000 after purchasing an additional 21,130 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter worth $641,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 7,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,377,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter worth $975,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 98.8% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,059 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,026,000 after purchasing an additional 4,999 shares in 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.