Anomaly Capital Management LP Invests $11.85 Million in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Anomaly Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 33,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,846,000. Anomaly Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.12% of Lithia Motors as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LAD. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 18,003 shares of the company's stock worth $6,435,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Mirabella Financial Services LLP purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $1,077,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,009 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $426,968,000 after acquiring an additional 27,035 shares during the period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm's 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 directly owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price 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 upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.1 %

LAD stock traded up $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $292.54. 508,177 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,081. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $305.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $341.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 9.86, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. 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 one year low of $243.04 and a one year high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

About Lithia Motors

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.