BNP Paribas Financial Markets Purchases 2,675 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 26.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,740 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,675 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $4,554,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded up $3.22 on Friday, hitting $323.64. The stock had a trading volume of 167,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,640. 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 one year low of $243.04 and a one year high of $405.68. The stock has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.90, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $297.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $339.25.

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 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 firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.11 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.68%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 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.