Moody Aldrich Partners LLC Invests $223,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 625 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total value of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,085,466.16. This trade represents a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock worth $15,103,607. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $372.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $365.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $325.67. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Stephens upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

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