Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) PT Raised to $405.00 at Stephens

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price objective raised by Stephens from $360.00 to $405.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Stephens’ price objective points to a potential upside of 21.65% from the stock’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $302.00 to $299.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $332.91 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $233.88 and a 1 year high of $341.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $299.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $275.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.25 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 28.62 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 31,541 shares of company stock worth $9,390,606 over the last ninety days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter.

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.