Research analysts at Benchmark started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark’s price target indicates a potential upside of 16.19% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on LAD. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $361.45.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Lithia Motors
Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.2 %
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors
In other news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.1% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,946,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 25,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,323,000 after purchasing an additional 960 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth about $116,000. Finally, California First Leasing Corp boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 10.0% during the 2nd quarter. California First Leasing Corp now owns 10,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,716,000 after acquiring an additional 980 shares during the period.
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.
See Also
- Five stocks we like better than Lithia Motors
- Investing In Preferred Stock vs. Common Stock
- 3 Innovative Small-Cap Tech Stocks: Time to Buy, Sell, or Hold?
- Dividend Payout Ratio Calculator
- Top 3 Stocks Goldman Sachs Predicts Will Dominate 2025
- The Role Economic Reports Play in a Successful Investment Strategy
- Top 2 Auto Maintenance Stocks Gearing Up for 2025
Receive News & Ratings for Lithia Motors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithia Motors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.