Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Announces Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $9.25 EPS.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $336.27. The company had a trading volume of 40,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,628. The company has a market cap of $9.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $299.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $274.82. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $233.88 and a 12-month high of $341.84.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.63%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 note on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $350.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares in the company, valued at $9,754,677.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $556,707.30. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock worth $6,534,617. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.