Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target Cut to $350.00 by Analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $355.00 to $350.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on LAD. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $399.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $410.00 to $390.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $389.90.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $303.59 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $334.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $262.10 and a 52 week high of $389.61. The stock has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 1.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.79 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $27,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 5,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,679,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 51.1% in the 4th quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 39,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,986,000 after purchasing an additional 13,212 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $267,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.8% during the fourth quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 7,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,504,000 after buying an additional 2,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the company’s stock valued at $900,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter.

Key Stories Impacting Lithia Motors

Here are the key news stories impacting Lithia Motors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights and capital return: Lithia reported record full‑year revenue and disclosed heavy buybacks (about $947M repurchased in 2025, ~11.4% of shares outstanding) and announced a quarterly dividend, all supportive for shareholder value. PR Newswire – Q4 & Full Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Aftermarket and used-vehicle strength: Used revenue rose and aftersales delivered double-digit same-store gross profit growth, which helps margins and recurring revenue resilience vs. new-vehicle cyclicality. PR Newswire – Q4 & Full Year Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price target moves: JPMorgan trimmed its PT to $350 but kept an overweight rating; Wells Fargo trimmed its PT to $355 and set an equal-weight rating — both PTs still imply upside from current levels, so these are mixed signals. Benzinga – Analyst PTs
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and transcripts: Multiple outlets published the earnings call transcript, slide deck and valuation pieces — useful for investors digging into guidance, margin drivers and acquisition impact. Seeking Alpha – Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss: Q4 EPS was $6.74 vs. Street $8.09 consensus (and vs. $7.79 a year ago), a significant miss that likely drove near‑term selling pressure. Zacks – Q4 Earnings Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and unit trends mixed: Q4 revenue was essentially flat year‑over‑year (new vehicle sales declined while used and aftersales rose), and some headlines framed it as missing expectations — raising concerns about margin leverage and growth trajectory. MarketBeat – Q4 Results Summary

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.