Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Bought by Chicago Capital LLC

Chicago Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 214,870 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Lithia Motors makes up approximately 1.8% of Chicago Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Chicago Capital LLC owned about 0.82% of Lithia Motors worth $63,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% in the fourth 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.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LAD. Bank of America upped their price target on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Guggenheim cut their target price 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. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $379.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE LAD traded up $4.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $331.35. The company had a trading volume of 335,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 313,018. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $330.82. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.04 and a 52-week high of $405.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market cap of $8.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.44, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.47.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 12.74% and a net margin of 2.30%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.11 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. 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 0.66%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

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.