Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) PT Lowered to $297.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price dropped by Guggenheim from $320.00 to $297.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Guggenheim’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.17% from the stock’s current price.

LAD has been the topic of several other reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.60.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE LAD opened at $260.14 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $7.16 billion, a PE ratio of 7.17, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $205.97 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $287.78 and a 200-day moving average of $284.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.05 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 35.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.0% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 6,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,042,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Sendero Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,595,000 after purchasing an additional 1,617 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,489 shares of the company’s stock valued at $749,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Bridge City Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 13,695 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,120,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter worth about $230,000.

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.