Point72 Asset Management L.P. Has $49.06 Million Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Point72 Asset Management L.P. lessened its position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 39.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 137,269 shares of the company's stock after selling 90,400 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. owned about 0.52% of Lithia Motors worth $49,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 700 shares of the company's stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in Lithia Motors by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 863 shares of the company's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock worth $527,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,147 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LAD. Guggenheim lowered their price target 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 lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $361.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. This trade represents a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 855 shares of company stock worth $252,536 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.6%

LAD traded down $11.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $307.37. 147,907 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,866. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.37, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.04 and a one year high of $405.68. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $298.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $339.04. 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 (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.11 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued 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 yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's 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.