StockNews.com Upgrades Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) to “Hold”

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Several other research firms also recently commented on LAD. Stephens raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $361.73.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $362.75 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $369.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.45. The firm has a market cap of $9.66 billion, a PE ratio of 12.38, a PEG ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in 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 during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth approximately $80,000.

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.