Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Chris Holzshu Sells 8,520 Shares of Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,744,821.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD traded down $2.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $333.10. 325,155 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 257,049. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.82 and a beta of 1.64. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $299.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $233.88 and a 1-year high of $341.84.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.25 earnings per share. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.26%.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company's stock valued at $975,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.8% in the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 459 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company's stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $350.80.

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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