Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.46 EPS

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) released its quarterly 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 Stock Up 5.5 %

NYSE LAD traded up $20.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $389.05. 178,311 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 394,534. The stock has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $363.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $333.36. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 192,814 shares in the company, valued at $73,269,320. The trade was a 1.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value 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 $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,924 shares of company stock valued at $8,975,642 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark started coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.