Analysts Set Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Price Target at $371.36

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $371.36.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $306.45 on Monday. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $345.07 and its 200 day moving average is $341.34. The stock has a market cap of $8.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

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.