Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer Sells 15,846 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $372.58 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $9.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $388.36. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $317.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.37.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company 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%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $353.80.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $607,000. Comerica Bank grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 22.9% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,774,000 after purchasing an additional 13,126 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,609,000 after buying an additional 87,362 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 46.1% in the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 10,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,650,000 after buying an additional 3,313 shares during the period.

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.