Koss Olinger Consulting LLC Makes New Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Koss Olinger Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $948,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 554 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.2% in the first quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.0% in the first quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total value of $88,632.90. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 306 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $289.65, for a total transaction of $88,632.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,922 shares in the company, valued at $556,707.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Guggenheim upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $338.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com cut Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $321.50.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $275.94 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $274.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $271.95. The company has a market cap of $7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.15, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $231.36 and a one year high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $7.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.09 by $0.78. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The business had revenue of $9.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $10.91 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.89 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 9th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.26%.

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.