Guggenheim Lowers Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Price Target to $356.00

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at Guggenheim from $417.00 to $356.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Guggenheim's price target suggests a potential upside of 21.69% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LAD. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $356.55.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE LAD traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $292.54. The stock had a trading volume of 508,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,429. Lithia Motors has a twelve month low of $243.04 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm's 50 day moving average is $305.08 and its 200 day moving average is $340.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during 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.