Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Given New $270.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $285.00 to $270.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an outperform rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, Craig Hallum dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $2.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $251.20. 307,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 228,017. The company has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $280.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $283.35. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $206.69 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.44 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 33.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FourThought Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period.

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.