Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre Sells 245 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total value of $72,186.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,905.44. The trade was a 11.72% 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 hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

NYSE LAD traded down $10.17 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $276.50. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 433,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,881. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $267.64 and a 200 day moving average of $301.91. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $239.78 and a one year high of $360.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Zacks Research raised Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Citigroup raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $326.00 to $365.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $367.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $26,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 111.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter.

About Lithia Motors

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.