Lithia Motors (LAD) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, October 23rd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $7.67 per share for the quarter. Individual that wish to listen to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The business 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 earned $10.91 EPS. On average, analysts expect Lithia Motors to post $29 EPS for the current fiscal year and $34 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $306.44 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $296.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $231.36 and a 12-month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 6.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lithia Motors from $302.00 to $299.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $337.70.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $556,707.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.