Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer Sells 15,846 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $371.06 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $388.36. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $319.77 and a 200-day moving average of $285.13. The company has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $353.80.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.4% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter valued at $316,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 53.5% during the first quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 30,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,294,000 after buying an additional 10,760 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,084,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.4% during the first quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 1,018 shares during 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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.