Insider Selling: Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Sells 403 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % 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

NYSE:LAD traded down $4.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $375.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 63,631 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,431. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.00 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $363.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $336.38. 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 stock has a market cap of $10.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.85, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.56%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Guggenheim raised their price objective on 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 raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. 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, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $369.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period.

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.