Swiss National Bank Sells 6,200 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,200 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.20% of Lithia Motors worth $17,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 10.3% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 492,273 shares of the company's stock worth $145,383,000 after purchasing an additional 45,977 shares in the last quarter. Kensico Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 41.3% in the third quarter. Kensico Capital Management Corp now owns 113,000 shares of the company's stock worth $33,372,000 after acquiring an additional 33,000 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,288.3% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,862 shares of the company's stock worth $9,410,000 after acquiring an additional 29,567 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 67.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 60,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,965,000 after acquiring an additional 24,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 24.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 113,986 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,663,000 after acquiring an additional 22,332 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of LAD traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $264.45. The stock had a trading volume of 168,526 shares, compared to its average volume of 226,204. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.08 and a 52-week high of $331.96. The firm has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59. The business's fifty day moving average is $277.10 and its 200 day moving average is $282.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 2.87%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.44 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 32.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Craig Hallum dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Company 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.