Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

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

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim boosted 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. Stephens upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.45.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $348.34 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $368.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $314.91. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,696,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,778,000. This trade represents a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596 in the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.