Lithia Motors (LAD) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) is set to release its earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, October 23rd. Analysts expect Lithia Motors to post earnings of $7.67 per share for the quarter. Persons that wish to listen to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. The firm had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $10.91 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Lithia Motors to post $29 EPS for the current fiscal year and $34 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $303.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $8.32 billion, a PE ratio of 8.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $294.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $273.02. Lithia Motors has a 52 week low of $231.36 and a 52 week high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LAD. Guggenheim raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, August 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $337.70.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.