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

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) issued its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.59% and a net margin of 2.87%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.44 earnings per share.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD traded up $4.99 on Friday, reaching $262.72. 399,224 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 296,284. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $283.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.67. Lithia Motors has a fifty-two week low of $206.69 and a fifty-two week high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a PE ratio of 7.76, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.58.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Craig Hallum dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. 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. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $320.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.