Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $319.45.
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $270.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, June 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.0 %
Lithia Motors stock traded down $5.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $251.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 283,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 259,503. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $261.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.43. The company has a market cap of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.62. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued 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). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.44 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 28.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is currently 6.26%.
Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors
In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors
Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mariner LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.7% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,164 shares of the company's stock worth $10,385,000 after purchasing an additional 8,862 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 20,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,836,000 after buying an additional 2,992 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 95.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 12,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,736,000 after buying an additional 6,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $4,608,000.
Lithia Motors Company Profile
(Get Free Report
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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