Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Adam Chamberlain Sells 403 Shares

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $380.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $363.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $334.89. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.00 and a 52 week high of $405.67.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.56%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LAD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $362.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 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.