Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Raised to "Buy" at Citigroup

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Citigroup from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $375.00 target price on the stock, down from their previous target price of $415.00. Citigroup's price target would indicate a potential upside of 26.52% from the company's previous close.

LAD has been the topic of a number of other reports. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $296.40 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.99, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The firm's 50-day moving average is $310.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted 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. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in 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 buying 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.

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