Shauna Mcintyre Sells 138 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Shauna Mcintyre also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, February 16th, Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.2 %

Lithia Motors stock opened at $251.20 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.69 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $6.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.59. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $280.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $283.13.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74). The business had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $8.44 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 33.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mariner LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.1% in the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,300,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,385,000 after acquiring an additional 8,862 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 95.6% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 12,649 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 6,181 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 93.2% in the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 9,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,780,000 after purchasing an additional 4,541 shares during the period. Finally, Comerica Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,608,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LAD. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.