Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Releases Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46, Zacks reports. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD traded up $20.36 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $389.05. 178,311 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 394,534. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $363.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $333.36. The stock has a market cap of $10.36 billion, a PE ratio of 13.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 192,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,269,320. This represents a 1.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 22,924 shares of company stock valued at $8,975,642 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $357.40.

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.