Gary M. Glandon Sells 242 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares in the company, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This trade represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $390.86 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $391.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $330.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $289.40.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.25 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $225.00 to $310.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $357.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 20,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,084,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 114.4% during the 1st quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 1,908 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,018 shares in the last quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 95.9% in the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 4,851 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,459,000 after purchasing an additional 2,375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,580,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period.

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.