Farringdon Capital Ltd. Invests $402,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lyrical Asset Management LP lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 510,388 shares of the company's stock worth $182,428,000 after purchasing an additional 11,674 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $152,752,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 18.0% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock worth $129,398,000 after buying an additional 55,142 shares during the last quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $113,250,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $14.12 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $281.33. The company had a trading volume of 298,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,713. 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 market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The firm's fifty day moving average is $310.53 and its 200 day moving average is $341.11. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.00 and a twelve month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.71 by ($0.05). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, 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 sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.