Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Posts Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74), Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.44 earnings per share.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD stock traded up $9.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $257.73. 783,441 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 222,344. The stock's 50-day moving average is $284.15 and its 200 day moving average is $283.85. The stock has a market cap of $7.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors has a 52-week low of $206.69 and a 52-week high of $331.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.79% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LAD. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Lithia Motors from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $326.27.

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.