Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 72,980 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 6.1%, acquiring an additional 72,980 shares, and now owns approximately 4.87% of the company, valued at $372 million.
• Lithia Motors recently reported earnings per share of $10.24, surpassing estimates, with a total revenue of $9.58 billion for the last quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.55, set to be paid on August 22nd, resulting in an annualized yield of 0.7%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 6.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,267,519 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 72,980 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 4.87% of Lithia Motors worth $372,053,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth $207,000. OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth $143,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the first quarter worth $32,824,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 119,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,068,000 after acquiring an additional 5,005 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total value of $75,020.80. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.0%

Lithia Motors stock traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $306.83. The stock had a trading volume of 57,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 337,178. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.87 billion, a PE ratio of 9.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 1.30. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $255.32 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $320.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $317.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.22.

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 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.00.

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.