Craig Hallum Lowers Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target to $310.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price dropped by analysts at Craig Hallum from $350.00 to $310.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Craig Hallum’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 18.00% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $320.82.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $262.72 on Thursday. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $283.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $283.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.59% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.44 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 80.2% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 85 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.