Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $393.80.
LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $490.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $310.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Benchmark raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 23rd.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $310.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $315.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $307.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.82 billion, a PE ratio of 8.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.30. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $239.78 and a 52 week high of $439.49.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The company reported $10.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.70 by $0.64. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.05% and a net margin of 2.06%. The company had revenue of $9.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 35.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 6th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.06%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors
In other news, Director Stacy Congdon sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.73, for a total transaction of $27,804.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $852,679. This represents a 3.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 28.9% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 24.0% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 4.8% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 30,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,995,000 after buying an additional 1,412 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 14,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,277,000 after acquiring an additional 4,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth about $259,000.
About Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors, Inc is an automotive retailer that sells new and pre-owned vehicles through a network of franchised dealerships. Its dealerships represent a range of vehicle manufacturers and also offer related products and services, including parts, maintenance and repairs, and vehicle financing and insurance options.
The company traces its roots to a single dealership established in Ashland, Oregon, in 1946. It has since expanded its retail operations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Lithia Motors
- Wall Street May Be Making a Big Mistake With monday.com Stock
- Are These 2 Mid-Cap Growth Stocks Worth the Risk?
- Oklo Changes the Narrative: Does a Nuclear Stock Price Explosion Come Next?
- Cloudflare’s 20% Sell-Off May Have Created an Opening for Investors
Receive News & Ratings for Lithia Motors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithia Motors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
