Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.46 EPS

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46, Zacks reports. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded down $4.28 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $380.41. 326,267 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 418,502. Lithia Motors has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The company has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company's 50 day moving average price is $363.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $335.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. 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 (DPR) is 7.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $362.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 20,339 shares of company stock worth $7,997,621. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.