Citigroup Cuts Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target to $409.00
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemLithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Citigroup from $455.00 to $409.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock.
A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $306.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $417.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $370.00 to $440.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $431.22.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Stock Performance
Shares of LAD stock opened at $309.17 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.23. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $239.78 and a one year high of $439.49. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $360.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.69.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.73 by $1.30. The company had revenue of $9.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.64 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.16%. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $10.24 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 36 EPS for the current year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 9.29%.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director Stacy Congdon sold 75 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $370.73, for a total transaction of $27,804.75. Following the sale, the director owned 2,300 shares in the company, valued at $852,679. This trade represents a 3.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.8% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 32.1% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Crumly & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Crumly & Associates Inc. now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $625,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period.
Lithia Motors Company Profile
Lithia Motors, operating under the Lithia & Driveway name, is an automotive retail company that sells new and used vehicles through a network of dealerships and digital channels. Its retail operations represent numerous automobile manufacturers and provide customers with vehicle purchasing, financing, leasing and protection products.
The company also operates parts and service departments that provide maintenance, repairs, collision work and replacement parts. Through its Driveway platform, Lithia offers online vehicle shopping, financing, trade-ins and delivery services, extending its automotive retail model beyond traditional dealership locations.
Founded in 1946 in Ashland, Oregon, Lithia Motors has expanded through acquisitions and dealership development.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Lithia Motors
- Hims & Hers Slides Nearly 7% as Legal Pressure Adds to Its Growing List of Risks
- Paychex Plunges, Providing the Entry Investors Have Been Waiting For
- The Case for Buying High-Yield General Mills Just Strengthened
- SanDisk’s $1,800 Breakout Turns Memory Hardware Into a Profit Story