Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Raised to $364.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $305.00 to $364.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective indicates a potential upside of 3.97% from the stock's previous close.

LAD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Guggenheim decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 target price for the company. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $385.00.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $4.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $350.09. The stock had a trading volume of 186,031 shares, compared to its average volume of 310,788. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.46. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $243.04 and a 1-year high of $405.68. The stock's fifty day moving average is $322.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $327.49.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.30% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.11 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. 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 purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company's stock worth $711,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Red Spruce Capital LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC now owns 7,880 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,662,000 after acquiring an additional 44 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.