Stanley Capital Management LLC Buys New Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Stanley Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 30,957 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,065,000. Lithia Motors accounts for approximately 2.2% of Stanley Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Stanley Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Lithia Motors at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 497.7% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company's stock worth $1,314,000 after acquiring an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock worth $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four research 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.com, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 quarter. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $13.36 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $305.59. The stock had a trading volume of 361,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,360. The company has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 10.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $338.81. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68. 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 (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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.11 EPS. Lithia Motors's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.93%.

About Lithia Motors

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.