Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Sells $4,534,530.00 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 11,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $390.00, for a total transaction of $4,534,530.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 181,187 shares in the company, valued at $70,662,930. This trade represents a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $3.38 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $394.24. 872,083 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 262,671. The company has a market cap of $10.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.46, a P/E/G ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $330.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $289.79.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.25 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth about $80,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.60.

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.