Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an outperform rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $260.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $287.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $284.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $205.97 and a 1-year high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.11 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The company’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $9.05 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 35.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the second quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000.

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.