SG Americas Securities LLC Has $1.52 Million Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 404.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,171 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,145 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock worth $74,436,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 56.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $904,000 after acquiring an additional 908 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LAD shares. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered 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. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 report on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $379.40.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $326.94. 205,232 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 312,927. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.04 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $8.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.30, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.47. 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 50-day moving average of $308.21 and a 200 day moving average of $331.23.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.74% and a net margin of 2.30%. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $6.11 earnings per share. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders 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. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, 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. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.