2,003 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Purchased by XTX Topco Ltd

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,003 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $716,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company's stock worth $74,436,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,314,000 after purchasing an additional 3,061 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company's stock, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup raised Lithia Motors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $397.00 to $308.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $357.18.

Lithia Motors Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $11.19 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $284.26. 272,239 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 377,190. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $310.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $341.11. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.00 and a 1-year high of $405.67. The firm has a market cap of $7.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.58, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $7.71 by ($0.05). Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

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