Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) to Issue Dividend Increase – $0.53 Per Share

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, April 24th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of 0.53 per share on Friday, May 24th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50.

Lithia Motors has raised its dividend by an average of 16.3% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 14 years.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.8 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $257.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $206.69 and a 12-month high of $331.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.58. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $284.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $283.85.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.59%. The company had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.44 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.78 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $320.82.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.