Headlands Technologies LLC Buys Shares of 3,900 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC purchased 3,900 shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. for approximately $1,145,000, marking a significant investment in the company during the first quarter.
• Equities analysts show mixed sentiments with Bank of America raising the target price on Lithia Motors to $500, while other firms like Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase lowered theirs, indicating varied expectations for the stock.
• Lithia Motors announced a quarterly dividend of $0.55 to be paid on August 22nd, reflecting a 0.8% dividend yield and demonstrating the company's commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,145,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the first quarter valued at approximately $59,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 63.7% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 50.9% in the first 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 period. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $378.00 to $383.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors 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 sale, the director owned 1,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $403,236.80. This trade represents a 15.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $7.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $299.74. 69,408 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 338,608. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $322.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.29. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $255.32 and a 12 month high of $405.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.29. The firm has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a PE ratio of 8.89, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.30.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $9.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.56 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.52%.

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.