Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Shares Down 2.6%

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) traded down 2.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $262.95 and last traded at $263.19. 58,558 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 195,947 shares. The stock had previously closed at $270.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $336.90.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a PE ratio of 7.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $290.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.05 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 5.51%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5,050.0% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at about $32,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 509.5% in the third quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the second quarter valued at about $46,000.

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.