Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $382.3333.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.9% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after buying an additional 1,032 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 67.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 113,346 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,272,000 after acquiring an additional 45,716 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 93,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,349,000 after acquiring an additional 13,407 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Lithia Motors by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 5,531 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,868,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 60,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,413 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $257.03 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $293.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $312.27. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $239.78 and a twelve month high of $360.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.79 EPS. The business’s revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.