Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells $80,676.00 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 3.4 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $295.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The business has a 50-day moving average of $349.24 and a 200-day moving average of $341.52. The firm has a market capitalization 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 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vident Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark reaffirmed 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 boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.