Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC Lowers Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC lessened its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 272,031 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,094 shares during the period. Lithia Motors accounts for 0.9% of Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Frontier Capital Management Co. LLC owned approximately 1.02% of Lithia Motors worth $97,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock worth $527,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD traded up $2.79 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $306.54. 191,036 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 315,663. The stock has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. 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 12 month low of $243.04 and a 12 month high of $405.68. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $295.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $339.76.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The business had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.11 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.