Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Purchased by LRT Capital Management LLC

LRT Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 54.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,862 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,714 shares during the quarter. LRT Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:LAD opened at $306.54 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $295.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68.

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

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm 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 is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is presently 6.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,583 shares of company stock worth $533,455. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.