Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,711,609 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,628 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.18% of Lithia Motors worth $969,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $289.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $340.16 and its 200-day moving average is $342.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.