Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre Sells 248 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.4 %

LAD stock opened at $295.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $350.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $341.27. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The stock has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

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.