Red Spruce Capital LLC Sells 1,264 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Red Spruce Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 13.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,836 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,264 shares during the quarter. Red Spruce Capital LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,300,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:LAD traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $317.23. 347,933 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 317,895. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.04 and a one year high of $405.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $299.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $336.00. The company has a market cap of $8.26 billion, a PE ratio of 10.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.11 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was 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 $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536. Insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.