Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Insider Gary M. Glandon Sells 242 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $390.86 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $330.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $289.79. The company has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.63. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $391.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released 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 net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $357.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter valued at approximately $607,000. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the first quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 22.9% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,774,000 after purchasing an additional 13,126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,609,000 after purchasing an additional 87,362 shares in the last quarter.

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.