Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.46 EPS

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

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $22.96 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $391.65. 87,385 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 391,610. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $363.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $333.36. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month 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 market cap of $10.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 192,814 shares in the company, valued at $73,269,320. This trade 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 worth $8,975,642 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.