Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC Increases Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Key Points

• Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 50.8%, purchasing an additional 2,907 shares and now owns a total of 8,634 shares worth approximately $2.53 million.
• Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares at an average price of $293.05, representing a 15.69% decrease in her ownership of the stock.
• Lithia Motors reported strong quarterly earnings of $10.24 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations, alongside a dividend payout of $0.55 per share, yielding 0.7% annually.

Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 50.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,634 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,907 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $711,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total value of $75,020.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $403,236.80. This trade represents a 15.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $378.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 price objective on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.00.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $1.21 on Thursday, hitting $338.77. The stock had a trading volume of 318,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 339,089. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $255.32 and a one year high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $8.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.04, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $320.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $316.20.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.78 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.21%. The firm had revenue of $9.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.56 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 26th that allows the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.52%.

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.