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

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $420.00 to $360.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 24.50% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on LAD. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, 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 note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $289.16 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.74, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $340.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $342.19. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in 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 period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during 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.