Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Raised to “Hold” at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Stephens reiterated an overweight rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $320.82.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $262.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $206.69 and a twelve month high of $331.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The company has a 50 day moving average of $283.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $283.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.44 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.78 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 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 5.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 40.3% in the first quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 73,498 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,113,000 after buying an additional 21,130 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth about $641,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.6% during the first 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 during the first quarter worth about $975,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 98.8% during the first 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.