Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.55

Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of 0.55 per share on Friday, November 21st. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th.

Lithia Motors has a payout ratio of 5.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Lithia Motors to earn $40.30 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.20 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 5.5%.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD opened at $308.32 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $322.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $315.90. Lithia Motors has a 12-month low of $262.10 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.14, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $9.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.53 by $0.97. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.21% and a net margin of 2.39%.The firm had revenue of $9.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.21 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 26th that permits the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.