Lithia Motors Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:LAD)

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Traders purchased 6,255 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 3,356% compared to the average daily volume of 181 put options.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.7%

LAD stock opened at $246.20 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $239.78 and a one year high of $360.55. The firm has a market cap of $5.76 billion, a PE ratio of 7.66, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $290.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $310.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business had revenue of $9.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given 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 was Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. AGP Franklin LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Lithia Motors by 0.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,434,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Zacks Research lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $382.33.

About Lithia Motors

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.