Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Has $69,000 Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 91.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 236 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,534 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $69,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 118.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,841 shares of the company's stock worth $541,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 2,421 shares of the company's stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 780 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 50.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 252 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,178 shares of the company's stock valued at $346,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $345.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $305.00 to $364.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $382.50.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $307.42. The company had a trading volume of 358,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,044. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $328.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $326.11. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $247.01 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The company has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 1.18.

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 the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.30% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.11 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,632 shares in the company, valued at $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.