Lithia Motors (LAD) Projected to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) is expected to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, April 23rd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $7.71 per share and revenue of $9.19 billion for the quarter. Persons interested in registering for the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, analysts expect Lithia Motors to post $34 EPS for the current fiscal year and $40 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE LAD opened at $290.90 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $319.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.91. The company has a market capitalization of $7.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.80, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724 over the last quarter. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.