Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells $72,128.32 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $295.39 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $349.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $341.83.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LAD. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in 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.