Brave Warrior Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 28.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 612,566 shares of the company's stock after selling 241,985 shares during the period. Lithia Motors makes up 5.4% of Brave Warrior Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Brave Warrior Advisors LLC owned about 2.30% of Lithia Motors worth $218,949,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Caxton Associates LP bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $1,074,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 12,740 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,554,000 after purchasing an additional 2,675 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Lithia Motors by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 124,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,634,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 37,984 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,577,000 after buying an additional 9,736 shares during the period.
Insider Activity
In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455 in the last quarter. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Lithia Motors Stock Performance
LAD stock traded down $1.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $296.05. The stock had a trading volume of 198,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,489. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $296.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $339.74. The stock has a market cap of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.04 and a 52-week high of $405.68.
Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.11 EPS. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.93%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. Guggenheim lowered their price target 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. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $361.20.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Lithia Motors
About Lithia Motors
(
Free Report)
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.
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