Deutsche Bank AG Acquires 908 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 56.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,528 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in 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. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company's stock worth $106,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock traded up $0.14 during trading on Thursday, reaching $314.01. 249,638 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 316,835. The company has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm's 50-day moving average is $299.55 and its 200 day moving average is $337.12. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.11 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

Lithia Motors Company 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.