Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Sees Large Volume Increase – Here’s Why

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) shares saw strong trading volume on Thursday . 543,587 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 52% from the previous session’s volume of 356,914 shares.The stock last traded at $343.54 and had previously closed at $345.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $357.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.6 %

The stock’s fifty day moving average is $365.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $322.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.25 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total value of $92,652.12. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. This represents a 12.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 38,770 shares of company stock valued at $15,103,607 over the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter.

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.