Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP decreased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 62.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,420 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,316 shares during the period. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $152,752,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $113,250,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth about $91,190,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,505,000. Finally, Advent International L.P. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 52.9% in the fourth quarter. Advent International L.P. now owns 217,151 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,616,000 after buying an additional 75,151 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 855 shares of company stock valued at $252,536 over the last 90 days. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of LAD stock traded up $1.00 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $323.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 42,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 368,542. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $297.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $339.18. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.41 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced 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 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 posted $6.11 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. 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 a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.93%.

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.