Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Now Covered by Analysts at Benchmark

Benchmark started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.83% from the company's previous close.

LAD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Citigroup raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.45.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded up $3.51 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $348.34. The stock had a trading volume of 304,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 288,101. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The firm has a market cap of $9.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.67. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $368.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $314.91. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000.

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.