Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Conifer Management L.L.C.

Conifer Management L.L.C. lessened its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 28.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 500,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 200,000 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors makes up about 23.7% of Conifer Management L.L.C.'s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Conifer Management L.L.C. owned approximately 1.88% of Lithia Motors worth $178,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE LAD traded up $2.79 on Friday, reaching $306.54. The stock had a trading volume of 191,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 315,074. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $295.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $339.73. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $6.11 EPS. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.20.

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.