Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Cut to $308.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $397.00 to $308.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target points to a potential upside of 5.28% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on LAD. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded up $0.37 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $292.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 508,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,429. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $243.04 and a 1-year high of $405.68. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $305.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $340.75.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in 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.