Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Sells 8,065 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,606 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,065 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC owned 0.39% of Lithia Motors worth $36,674,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the fourth 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. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $290.48 on Tuesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.04 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $303.60 and its 200 day moving average is $340.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $7.64 billion, a PE ratio of 9.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.11 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.93%.

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.