Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Position Lifted by R Squared Ltd

Key Points

• R Squared Ltd significantly increased its stake in Lithia Motors, raising ownership by 4,066.7% to 1,250 shares worth $367,000, according to a recent SEC filing.
• Multiple institutional investors have also boosted their holdings in Lithia Motors, with Steadfast Capital Management increasing its stake by 137.8%, now owning 460,298 shares valued at $164.5 million.
• Lithia Motors announced a quarterly dividend of $0.55 per share, which will be paid on August 22, giving an annualized yield of 0.8%.

R Squared Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 4,066.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,250 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 1st quarter worth approximately $59,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 63.7% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company's stock worth $62,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in 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.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.1%

LAD traded down $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $287.76. 523,222 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 336,332. The company has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.53, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.31. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $255.32 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $325.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $322.88.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.24 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.78 by $0.46. The business had revenue of $9.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.56 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.39% and a return on equity of 13.21%. As a group, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.52%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total transaction of $75,020.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,236.80. The trade was a 15.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim dropped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $345.00 to $335.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased 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 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $340.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $377.80.

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.