Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Sells 6,742 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 6,742 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $400.00, for a total value of $2,696,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 174,445 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,778,000. This trade represents a 3.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of LAD stock opened at $394.24 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.46, a P/E/G ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.63. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $330.58 and a 200 day moving average of $289.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.18 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stephens raised 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, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $357.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LAD. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,580,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth about $206,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 15,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period.

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.