Guggenheim Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price decreased by equities research analysts at Guggenheim from $417.00 to $356.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim’s price target points to a potential upside of 21.96% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $352.18.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $291.89 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 9.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $312.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,436,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter.

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.