Lithia Motors (LAD) Scheduled to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) will be announcing its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, October 23rd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $7.67 per share for the quarter. Parties that wish to register for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The company had revenue of $9.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $10.91 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Lithia Motors to post $29 EPS for the current fiscal year and $34 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $313.88 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a PE ratio of 9.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $231.36 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $296.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.68%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.26%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total transaction of $2,973,697.61. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 46,129 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LAD. Citigroup upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Morgan Stanley raised Lithia Motors from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $225.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 9th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $360.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.70.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

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.