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

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $371.36.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $306.45 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $345.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $342.09. The firm 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.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale 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 business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth $731,000.

About Lithia Motors

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.