Brokerages Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Price Target at $371.36

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $371.36.

LAD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $344.86 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $360.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $339.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.61%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $202,000. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $874,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $271,000. Castleark Management LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Castleark Management LLC now owns 15,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,469,000 after acquiring an additional 6,730 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 79,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,510,000 after acquiring an additional 11,315 shares during 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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.