International Assets Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 18,440 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 18,440 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,072,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Lithia Motors as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,185,000. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 114.1% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 463,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,949,000 after acquiring an additional 247,174 shares during the last quarter. MFN Partners Management LP boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 43.0% in the first quarter. MFN Partners Management LP now owns 751,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,413,000 after acquiring an additional 225,806 shares during the last quarter. Eaton Vance Management boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 37,874.1% in the first quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 171,263 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,400,000 after acquiring an additional 170,812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eventide Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 94.6% during the second quarter. Eventide Asset Management LLC now owns 244,280 shares of the company's stock worth $74,288,000 after buying an additional 118,781 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.90.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $6.50 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $258.02. 181,342 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 200,370. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $284.86. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $205.97 and a twelve month high of $331.96.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The company had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.05 earnings per share. Lithia Motors's revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is presently 5.51%.

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.