Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Sells $6,127,965.12 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.4 %

LAD stock opened at $371.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $9.89 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.63. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $319.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $285.13.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.4% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Qsemble Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the first quarter valued at approximately $316,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.6% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,084,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shell Asset Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.4% in the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after acquiring an additional 1,018 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on LAD shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

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.