Insider Selling: Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Director Sells $19,449.75 in Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.33, for a total transaction of $19,449.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $449,937.55. This trade represents a 4.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $254.90 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.21. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $251.00 and a 12-month high of $360.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $308.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $317.34.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). The firm had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.79 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $265,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,351 shares of the company’s stock valued at $781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,095 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 225.5% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Arwa LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $467,000. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 2,707 shares of the company’s stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.