Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46, Zacks reports. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded down $0.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $383.71. 28,941 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 405,464. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $363.35 and its 200-day moving average is $334.08. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $10.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.10, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,778,000. The trade was a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 19,611 shares of company stock valued at $7,716,702. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $362.50.

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.