Bryan B. Deboer Sells 3,313 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 3,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total value of $1,258,940.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 192,814 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $73,269,320. This represents a 1.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $3.53 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $372.58. 288,709 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 260,661. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $388.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.63. The business has a 50-day moving average of $316.04 and a 200-day moving average of $283.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted 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 raised 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 worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth $80,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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, Citigroup lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $353.80.

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.