Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74), Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $8.44 EPS.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $3.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $251.80. 207,903 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 214,848. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $206.69 and a 12-month high of $331.96. The business’s 50-day moving average is $284.15 and its 200-day moving average is $283.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 6.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.58.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a boost 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 is presently 5.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $327.90.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

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.