Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Raised to $365.00

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its price target on Lithia Motors from $326 to $365 and kept a buy rating, implying roughly a 25.8% upside from current levels.
• Lithia beat estimates for the quarter with EPS of $7.34 (vs. $7.06 expected) and revenue of $9.27 billion (vs. $9.22 billion), but revenue was only up about 1% year‑over‑year.
• Shares trade near $290.25—well below the 52‑week high of $360.55—with a market cap of $6.79 billion and a PE of 10.19, while analysts' consensus target sits around $366.67 and the consensus rating is "Moderate Buy."

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by research analysts at Citigroup from $326.00 to $365.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price target would suggest a potential upside of 25.76% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Zacks Research raised Lithia Motors from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $366.67.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of LAD stock traded up $0.13 on Friday, reaching $290.25. 271,183 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 319,276. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $239.78 and a 52 week high of $360.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.79 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.22. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $267.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $302.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.66 EPS. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.68 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. AGP Franklin LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,434,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 984 shares of the company's stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company's core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.

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