Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Receives $382.33 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $382.3333.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LAD. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,601,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 263,157 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,158,000 after purchasing an additional 7,558 shares during the last quarter. Abrams Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.9% during the third quarter. Abrams Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,490,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $787,009,000 after purchasing an additional 45,856 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $557,000. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $548,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $0.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $251.98. The company had a trading volume of 221,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 364,852. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.84, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $285.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.13. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $239.78 and a 12-month high of $360.55.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 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 company had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.79 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. 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.