Lithia Motors (LAD) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

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

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.05 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Price Performance

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $65,185,000. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.1% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 463,753 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,949,000 after acquiring an additional 247,174 shares during the period. MFN Partners Management LP increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 43.0% during the first quarter. MFN Partners Management LP now owns 751,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,413,000 after acquiring an additional 225,806 shares during the period. Eaton Vance Management grew its position in Lithia Motors by 37,874.1% during the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 171,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,400,000 after buying an additional 170,812 shares during the period. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 94.6% during the second quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 244,280 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,288,000 after buying an additional 118,781 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $336.90.

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.