Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Short Interest Down 14.7% in December

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a decline of 14.7% from the December 15th total of 2,320,000 shares. Approximately 7.6% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 278,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 7.1 days.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $351.33 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $368.56 and a 200-day moving average of $319.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The company has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.25 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, 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 transaction of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596 over the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

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.