Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Short Interest Down 14.7% in December

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a decrease of 14.7% from the December 15th total of 2,320,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 278,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.1 days. Approximately 7.6% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on LAD shares. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.27.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $6.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $351.33. 301,973 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 292,261. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a PEG ratio of 4.77 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's 50-day moving average price is $368.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.73.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.25 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 29.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.24%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock worth $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period.

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.

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