Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells 138 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Shauna Mcintyre also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, February 16th, Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD traded down $0.39 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $253.99. The stock had a trading volume of 266,133 shares, compared to its average volume of 227,076. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.50, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.69 and a 52 week high of $331.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $281.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $283.56.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.44 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 33.17 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. This is a positive change 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 5.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $32,000. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 509.5% during the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 80.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 191 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on LAD. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Craig Hallum lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $320.82.

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.

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