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

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $4.74 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $298.08. 214,252 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 294,089. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The stock's fifty day moving average is $348.41 and its 200 day moving average is $341.82.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 844 shares of the company's stock valued at $302,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,877,000. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Peak Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $874,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $271,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.