Tidal Investments LLC Has $932,000 Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Tidal Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 33.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,607 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,320 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $426,968,000 after purchasing an additional 27,035 shares in the last quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 510,388 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,428,000 after buying an additional 11,674 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 137.8% during the fourth quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 460,298 shares of the company's stock worth $164,524,000 after acquiring an additional 266,715 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $152,752,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $129,398,000 after acquiring an additional 55,142 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The shares were 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE LAD traded up $2.51 on Friday, reaching $316.76. The stock had a trading volume of 54,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 315,945. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $299.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $336.64. The company has a market capitalization of $8.25 billion, a price-to-earnings 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.11 earnings per share. Lithia Motors's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.69%. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is currently 6.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LAD. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.