Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires Shares of 4,084 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,345,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LAD. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company's stock worth $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.5% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,886 shares of the company's stock worth $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.2% during the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,109 shares of the company's stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the company's stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Lithia Motors from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $334.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 6.2 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock traded down $16.30 on Wednesday, reaching $248.19. 710,557 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 215,238. The company has a market capitalization of $6.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.69 and a 52 week high of $331.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $285.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $284.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 1.41.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $7.95 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.05 EPS. Lithia Motors's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.51%.

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.