Teza Capital Management LLC Invests $921,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $921,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake 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. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total transaction of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $482,974.08. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of LAD traded up $1.27 on Thursday, hitting $306.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 344,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 316,473. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $298.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $338.81. 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 quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.34, 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 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 quarter last year, the company earned $6.11 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.