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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE LAD traded up $5.54 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $376.11. 462,899 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 260,534. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $388.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $316.04 and a 200 day moving average of $283.75. The company has a market cap of $10.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84 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 (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $353.80.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $80,000.

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.