Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Announces Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 Up 6.2 %

NYSE:LAD traded up $22.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $391.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 87,385 shares, compared to its average volume of 391,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The company 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. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The business’s 50-day moving average is $363.11 and its 200-day moving average is $333.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Benchmark initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total transaction of $1,258,940.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 192,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,269,320. This trade represents a 1.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. This represents a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,924 shares of company stock worth $8,975,642. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Lithia Motors

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.