Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 1,865.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,293 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 87,597 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned 0.35% of Lithia Motors worth $27,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th 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 during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $59,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded up $4.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $331.35. 335,800 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 312,761. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.04 and a 1-year high of $405.68. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $309.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $330.09.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.30% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.11 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.66%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.