First Eagle Investment Management LLC Purchases 7,120 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 54.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,130 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,120 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Lithia Motors worth $6,628,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 4.1% during the third quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 4,401 shares of the company's stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 35,164 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,385,000 after acquiring an additional 8,862 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 16.8% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 20,759 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,836,000 after purchasing an additional 2,992 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 95.6% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 12,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,736,000 after purchasing an additional 6,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 93.2% during the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 9,412 shares of the company's stock worth $2,780,000 after purchasing an additional 4,541 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $268.46. 185,566 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 312,837. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.59. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $218.99 and a one year high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $274.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $284.60.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The company's revenue was up 22.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.44 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This is a boost from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 15th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $285.00 to $270.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $318.55.

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.