Insider Selling: Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells 75 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.33, for a total value of $19,449.75. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $449,937.55. The trade was a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE LAD traded down $0.95 on Friday, reaching $254.90. The stock had a trading volume of 394,008 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,687. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $308.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $317.60. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $251.00 and a 1-year high of $360.55. The company has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). The firm had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.79 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.85%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.