Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $400.00 to $440.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 16.89% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $369.55.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded down $3.20 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $376.42. 41,422 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,644. The company’s fifty day moving average is $363.47 and its 200-day moving average is $336.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $10.03 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.23 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,339 shares of company stock valued at $7,997,621. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Versor Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $731,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at about $248,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 95,899 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,585,000 after purchasing an additional 2,261 shares in the last quarter.

About Lithia Motors

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.