Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Given New $400.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target decreased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $405.00 to $400.00 in a report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $351.33 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $368.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $319.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.60%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of 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.

About Lithia Motors

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.