Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells $72,128.32 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $295.39 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $349.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $341.52.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Versor Investments LP increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at about $731,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

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.