Lithia Motors Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LAD)

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock investors acquired 6,255 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 3,356% compared to the typical volume of 181 put options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. AGP Franklin LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. AGP Franklin LLC now owns 10,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 7,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,434,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 9.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 403 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $503,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 1.5%

Lithia Motors stock traded down $3.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $246.77. The stock had a trading volume of 97,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,913. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $292.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.23. The company has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.68, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 1.20. Lithia Motors has a one year low of $239.78 and a one year high of $360.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.76% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business had revenue of $9.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.79 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $399.00 to $366.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $382.33.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.