Lithia Motors (LAD) Projected to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) will likely be announcing its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, February 12th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $7.33 per share and revenue of $8.99 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE LAD opened at $369.37 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $363.45 and a 200-day moving average of $332.61.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on LAD shares. Benchmark started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 22,924 shares of company stock valued at $8,975,642 over the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.