Analysts Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) PT at $371.36

Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $371.36.

A number of research firms have commented on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,071,000. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $232,000. OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $246,000. Finally, Commerce Bank bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $204,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $306.60 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $346.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $341.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

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.