180 Wealth Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 5,629 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

180 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,629 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,652,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 14.2% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the company's stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 44,194.6% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 73,972 shares of the company's stock worth $21,714,000 after purchasing an additional 73,805 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,528 shares of the company's stock worth $3,763,000 after purchasing an additional 930 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 844 shares of the company's stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,877,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.8%

Lithia Motors stock traded up $2.64 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $319.00. 77,923 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,443. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $8.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $300.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $335.10.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.11 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on LAD. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 target price on the stock. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $362.40.

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.