Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Sells $2,855,989.20 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 32,054 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,744,821.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $2.22 during trading on Friday, hitting $333.10. 325,155 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 257,049. The stock has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $299.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $274.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $233.88 and a 12-month high of $341.84.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.25 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.64%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Stephens upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $350.80.

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.