Peak Retirement Planning Inc. Buys New Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Peak Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,435 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $874,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI boosted 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. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on 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. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. 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 stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded up $4.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $315.57. 211,466 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 316,969. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $299.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $337.43. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The stock has a market cap of $8.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

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

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

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

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.