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

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

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on LAD. Stephens raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $361.45.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $348.34 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $368.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Everence Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $232,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 46.9% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 75,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,136,000 after buying an additional 24,258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 95,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,585,000 after buying an additional 2,261 shares during the last quarter.

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.