Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells $2,973,697.61 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $286.44 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $277.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $270.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.46, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $231.36 and a 12-month high of $331.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $10.91 EPS. Analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. StockNews.com downgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Stephens began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $326.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $663,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter.

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.