4D Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

4D Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 7,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,681,000. Lithia Motors comprises 1.9% of 4D Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. This represents a 17.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,583 shares of company stock worth $533,455. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LAD. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $2.35 on Friday, reaching $296.12. 320,521 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 315,578. The business's 50-day moving average is $299.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $340.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.04 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.11 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.