Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price objective hoisted by stock analysts at Evercore ISI from $400.00 to $440.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 16.89% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.55.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.8 %

Lithia Motors stock traded down $3.20 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $376.42. 41,422 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,644. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $363.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $336.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.23 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $4,534,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,662,930. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 20,339 shares of company stock worth $7,997,621. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

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.