Northern Trust Corp Increases Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 30.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,979 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 59,525 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.96% of Lithia Motors worth $91,852,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LAD. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $152,752,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at $113,250,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth about $91,190,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $46,505,000. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company's stock worth $129,398,000 after buying an additional 55,142 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. 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 note on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE LAD traded up $3.34 on Friday, hitting $306.54. 190,435 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 314,473. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $7.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $295.76 and a 200-day moving average of $339.71. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.04 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The firm had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.11 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 6.93%.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.