2,578 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Purchased by Teza Capital Management LLC

Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 2,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $921,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total transaction of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents 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 the 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 sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at $377,219.48. This trade represents a 16.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. Citigroup raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded up $3.68 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $311.26. 239,428 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 317,393. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a PE ratio of 10.49, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $299.09 and its 200 day moving average is $338.07.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 in the prior year, the company earned $6.11 EPS. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

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.