First Trust Advisors LP Trims Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 87,597 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,280 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.33% of Lithia Motors worth $31,310,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was 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 have sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Lithia Motors stock traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $293.02. 489,579 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,991. The company's fifty day moving average is $301.08 and its 200-day moving average is $340.23. 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 52 week low of $243.04 and a 52 week high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.87, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

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). The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.11 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price 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. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

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.