Quantinno Capital Management LP Raises Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 92.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,088 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,004 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $746,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% in 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 during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE LAD traded up $4.12 on Tuesday, hitting $315.57. 211,466 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 316,969. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.04 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The company has a market cap of $8.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.63, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $299.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $337.43.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.11 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued 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 boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.