Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 53.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 21,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,752 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned 0.08% of Lithia Motors worth $7,506,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake 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 worth $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LAD. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price 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. Guggenheim lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Benchmark reissued 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. decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 1.0%

LAD stock traded up $3.22 on Friday, hitting $323.64. 167,340 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,239. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.04 and a twelve month high of $405.68. The business's fifty day moving average is $296.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $339.37.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.11 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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 will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the transaction, the director now owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. This represents a 17.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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.