Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Increased to $380.00 by Analysts at Guggenheim

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Guggenheim from $350.00 to $380.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 13.36% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on LAD. Bank of America increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Stephens boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $350.80.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $335.22. The company had a trading volume of 274,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,845. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $231.36 and a one year high of $341.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $298.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $274.40. The stock has a market cap of $9.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $10.91 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 28.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $556,707.30. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 3,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $987,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 78.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bristlecone Advisors LLC now owns 2,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $248,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $234,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 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.