Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on LAD. Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $372.58 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $388.36. The company has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $317.87 and a 200-day moving average of $284.37.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,394 shares of company stock valued at $16,688,879 over the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000.

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.