Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells 306 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.8 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $290.07 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 8.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $257.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.58. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $231.36 and a twelve month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.52% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $10.91 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 27.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 9th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $266.00 to $302.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $313.90.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiera Capital Corp grew its position in Lithia Motors by 1.2% in the second quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 191,894 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,444,000 after acquiring an additional 2,205 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth approximately $202,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 2.3% in the second quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 14,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,712,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth approximately $328,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Lithia Motors by 11.4% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 16,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,686 shares in the last quarter.

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.