JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Stock Price

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its price target cut by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $405.00 to $400.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens increased their price target 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. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective 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. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $351.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $368.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $320.37.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’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 value of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total value of $2,855,989.20. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 21.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake 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 worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring 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.