Lithia Motors (LAD) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) is scheduled to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 17th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $8.06 per share for the quarter. Individual interested in listening to the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $9.05 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect Lithia Motors to post $35 EPS for the current fiscal year and $41 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $258.02 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company’s 50-day moving average is $289.65 and its 200 day moving average is $284.86. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $205.97 and a one year high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 5.51%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lithia Motors

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $60,000. State of Wyoming lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 35.2% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,220.0% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $336.90.

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.