JPMorgan Chase & Co. Boosts Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target to $420.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price lifted by stock analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $400.00 to $420.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 16.46% from the company’s current price.

LAD has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $360.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $362.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $337.33. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This trade represents a 3.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,470 shares of company stock worth $3,370,439. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 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.