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 company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 181,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,662,930. The trade was a 6.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.2 %

LAD stock opened at $386.16 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $334.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $291.59. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a market cap of $10.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued 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 firm 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%. Lithia Motors’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on LAD shares. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $357.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the second quarter worth about $80,000.

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.