Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Raised to $405.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price objective increased by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $375.00 to $405.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 17.97% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on LAD. Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Bank of America lifted 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. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $343.30 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $347.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $305.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $278.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 28.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,235 shares of company stock valued at $9,301,973. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth about $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth approximately $80,000.

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.