Shauna Mcintyre Sells 248 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 3.4 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $295.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $350.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $341.27. The firm has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.95, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $426,968,000 after purchasing an additional 27,035 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,204,000 after acquiring an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 510,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $182,428,000 after acquiring an additional 11,674 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 137.8% during the 4th quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 460,298 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,524,000 after acquiring an additional 266,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at $152,752,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $371.36.

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.