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

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

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on LAD. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $313.90.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 4.6 %

NYSE LAD traded down $13.38 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $276.69. 537,881 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 250,927. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $257.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.58. The company has a market cap of $7.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $231.36 and a 1-year high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $10.91 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 27.62 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $49,000. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $67,000.

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.