Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $280.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $270.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential upside of 7.69% from the company's current price.
A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on LAD. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Guggenheim downgraded Lithia Motors from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $319.45.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $1.90 during trading on Monday, reaching $260.00. The company had a trading volume of 290,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,338. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $264.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.91. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released 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). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.44 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 28.78 EPS for the current year.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.
Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $67,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the first quarter valued at $114,000.
About Lithia Motors
(Get Free Report)
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.
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