Natixis Advisors LLC Invests $26.07 Million in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 82,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,071,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 14.7% during the second quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,700,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,390,000 after buying an additional 217,867 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Lithia Motors by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,016,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,621,000 after acquiring an additional 203,543 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 7.2% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 727,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,981,000 after purchasing an additional 48,938 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 27.5% during the third quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 365,184 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,997,000 after purchasing an additional 78,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.1% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 260,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,756,000 after purchasing an additional 5,390 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $373.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 1.63. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $321.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $286.43. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $388.36.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 2.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $9.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Sidney B. Deboer sold 10,777 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,754,677.36. The trade was a 23.36 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,394 shares of company stock worth $16,688,879 over the last 90 days. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Stephens raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $353.80.

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.