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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Lithia Motors from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Guggenheim lowered Lithia Motors from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Craig Hallum cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $317.40.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $283.21 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.36, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.63. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.43.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.81%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $10.91 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 27.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FourThought Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company’s stock worth $530,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 13.3% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period.

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.