Lithia Motors, Inc. (LAD) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.55 on March 20th

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of 0.55 per share on Friday, March 20th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th.

Lithia Motors has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 16 consecutive years. Lithia Motors has a payout ratio of 5.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Lithia Motors to earn $40.30 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 5.5%.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $271.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.45 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $320.30 and its 200 day moving average is $320.49. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $262.10 and a 52 week high of $360.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.79 EPS. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $27,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. AGP Franklin LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.4% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,434,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period.

About Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.