Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Insider Gary M. Glandon Sells 325 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $380.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.00 and a 1 year high of $405.67. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $363.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $334.89. The firm has a market cap of $10.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.56%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LAD. Stephens lifted their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $362.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 3.5% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 4,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,287,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning increased its position in Lithia Motors by 5.4% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $526,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth $327,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 46.2% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 1,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $604,000 after purchasing an additional 600 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.