JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target to $420.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $400.00 to $420.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential upside of 16.46% from the stock’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim upped their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.0 %

LAD stock opened at $360.65 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $9.61 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50 day moving average of $362.73 and a 200 day moving average of $337.33.

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

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total transaction of $2,696,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,778,000. The trade was a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,470 shares of company stock worth $3,370,439 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.