Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

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 firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 17.97% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $343.30 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.15 billion, a PE ratio of 11.72 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $347.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $305.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 28.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 31,235 shares of company stock worth $9,301,973. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 132.9% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 19,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,758,000 after acquiring an additional 10,920 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the second quarter valued at approximately $607,000. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,867,000 after buying an additional 13,875 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 203,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $61,318,000 after buying an additional 20,416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 22.9% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,774,000 after buying an additional 13,126 shares in 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.