OneAscent Financial Services LLC Increases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

OneAscent Financial Services LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 26.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 980 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $350,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,436,000 after purchasing an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 3,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after buying an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 7.7 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $282.55 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.52, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $335.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $342.92. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $365.91.

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.