Values First Advisors Inc. Sells 233 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

by · The Markets Daily

Values First Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD – Free Report) by 9.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,290 shares of the company’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Values First Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $727,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth about $35,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 23.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the second quarter worth about $80,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LAD shares. Stephens raised their price objective on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $350.80.

Get Our Latest Report on Lithia Motors

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,417,080.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 11,938 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.86, for a total transaction of $3,472,286.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 46,129 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,417,080.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.93, for a total value of $2,973,697.61. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,021 shares of company stock valued at $6,534,617 in the last three months. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.0 %

LAD opened at $335.32 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $231.36 and a 12 month high of $341.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.90, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $299.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $274.82.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.84% and a net margin of 2.52%. The firm had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $9.25 EPS. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 28.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.63%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.26%.

About Lithia Motors

(Free Report)

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.

Featured Stories