Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price objective hoisted by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $346.00 to $397.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.24% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, 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 on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $362.50.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD stock traded up $2.59 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $388.30. 45,177 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 402,168. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $363.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $333.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. Equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.23 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total value of $4,534,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,662,930. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 19,611 shares of company stock worth $7,716,702 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during 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.