Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $260.84 on Thursday. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $206.69 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.18 billion, a PE ratio of 7.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $286.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $284.09.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.05 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 35.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000.

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.