Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) To Go Ex-Dividend on August 7th

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, July 27th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of 0.70 per share on Friday, August 21st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This is a 22.8% increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57.

Lithia Motors has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 16 consecutive years. Lithia Motors has a payout ratio of 7.5% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Lithia Motors to earn $40.78 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 6.9%.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of LAD opened at $370.44 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $317.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $296.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.22. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $239.78 and a 1-year high of $439.49.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.73 by $1.30. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.16%. The company had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $10.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total value of $72,186.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $543,905.44. The trade was a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 782 shares of company stock worth $229,572 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,062.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,679,000 after acquiring an additional 10,118 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $58,409,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,490,000 after purchasing an additional 21,168 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 140.7% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,787,000 after purchasing an additional 6,661 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.8% during the 4th quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 115,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,459,000 after purchasing an additional 37,938 shares in the last quarter.

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.