Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD – Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $700,000.
Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LAD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 8,474 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after purchasing an additional 1,032 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 67.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 113,346 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,272,000 after purchasing an additional 45,716 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 93,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,349,000 after purchasing an additional 13,407 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 16.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $821,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $651,000.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $348.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $326.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.30.
Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors
In other news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the sale, the director owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total transaction of $72,186.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,846 shares in the company, valued at approximately $543,905.44. The trade was a 11.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 617 shares of company stock worth $174,966. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Lithia Motors Trading Down 1.7%
Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $290.59 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $271.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $298.57. The company has a market cap of $6.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.20, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $239.78 and a 1 year high of $360.55.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $9.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.49%. Lithia Motors’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.66 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.26 EPS for the current year.
Lithia Motors Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 8.01%.
Lithia Motors declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, May 26th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 7.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.
Lithia Motors Company Profile
Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.
The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Lithia Motors
- Shares Fall, Targets Rise—Markets and Analysts Diverge on Synopsys
- Salesforce Stock Finds Support as AI Momentum Builds
- Dollar Tree Keeps Winning After Family Dollar Divorce
- Apple’s Agentic AI Plans Could Be Its Biggest Growth Story Yet
Receive News & Ratings for Lithia Motors Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lithia Motors and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
