Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Purchases Shares of 10,938 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,910,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LAD. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD opened at $290.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.79, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $303.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $340.90. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.04 and a 1 year high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.11 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio is 6.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company's stock.

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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.

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