Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Insider Gary M. Glandon Sells 325 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $4.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $375.54. The 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 stock has a market capitalization of $10.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $363.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $336.38.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.24%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.3% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company's stock valued at $975,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 3.5% in the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,051 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,287,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the period. Creative Planning grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $526,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at approximately $327,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 46.2% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. 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 assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $369.55.

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.