Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $1.74 EPS

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.85 by ($1.74), Briefing.com reports. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.59% and a net margin of 2.87%. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.44 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of LAD stock traded up $5.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $263.46. 94,107 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,612. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $284.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $283.85. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $206.69 and a one year high of $331.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Craig Hallum cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $320.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company 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.