Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Lifted to Hold at StockNews.com

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $2.41 on Friday, reaching $332.91. The company had a trading volume of 325,155 shares, compared to its average volume of 257,049. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $299.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.20. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $233.88 and a 52-week high of $341.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,541 shares of company stock valued at $9,390,606 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $268,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Lithia Motors by 4.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $987,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 78.5% during the third quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $751,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $248,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $234,000.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.