Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Sells $1,258,940.00 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 192,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,269,320. The trade was a 1.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.4 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $371.06 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $319.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $285.34. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $388.36.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 34.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 53.5% during the 1st quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 30,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,294,000 after acquiring an additional 10,760 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,084,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 114.4% during the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 8.1% in the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period.

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.