Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Lowers Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC cut its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) by 48.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,588 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,471 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $568,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Mirabella Financial Services LLP bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth about $1,077,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 15,009 shares of the company's stock worth $5,365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,194,539 shares of the company's stock valued at $426,968,000 after purchasing an additional 27,035 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter worth approximately $202,000. Finally, Commerce Bank increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 48.3% in the fourth quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 952 shares of the company's stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Citigroup upgraded Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim decreased their target price on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $385.00 to $328.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $361.20.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:LAD traded up $2.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $296.12. 320,521 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 315,578. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.71 billion, a PE ratio of 9.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.48. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12-month low of $243.04 and a 12-month high of $405.68. The business has a 50-day moving average of $299.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $340.44.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.77 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $9.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. The business's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.11 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is an increase from Lithia Motors's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. Lithia Motors's payout ratio is presently 6.93%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 1,583 shares of company stock valued at $533,455 over the last ninety days. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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