Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Raised to $420.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target boosted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $400.00 to $420.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 14.73% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.3 %

LAD traded down $8.68 on Wednesday, hitting $366.08. 101,697 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 401,847. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $9.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $363.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.38. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This trade represents a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 20,339 shares of company stock worth $7,997,621. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period.

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.