Nuveen Asset Management LLC Decreases Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,579 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,538 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.32% of Lithia Motors worth $30,946,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LRT Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 54.4% during the fourth quarter. LRT Capital Management LLC now owns 4,862 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,714 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 16,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,832,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares in the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 2,332 shares of the company's stock valued at $834,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,528 shares of the company's stock valued at $904,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 91.1% during the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 142,124 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,799,000 after purchasing an additional 67,769 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.3%

Lithia Motors stock traded up $4.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $315.57. 211,466 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 316,969. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.04 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $299.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $337.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536 over the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Guggenheim reduced 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of 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, 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 report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $361.20.

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.