Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 2,681 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.3%, acquiring an additional 2,681 shares, bringing its total ownership to 210,934 shares valued at approximately $61.9 million.
• Lithia Motors reported a 12% increase in earnings per share for the last quarter, with EPS of $10.24 surpassing estimates and generating $9.58 billion in revenue.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share, with the ex-dividend date set for August 8th, yielding an annualized dividend of 0.7%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 1.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 210,934 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,681 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.81% of Lithia Motors worth $61,918,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $59,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 63.7% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 50.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $202,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Guggenheim cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Citigroup raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $378.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.00.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD stock traded up $1.18 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $305.75. 38,046 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 337,926. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.03. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $255.32 and a 12 month high of $405.67.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.52%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $403,236.80. The trade was a 15.69% 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. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Profile

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.