IFP Advisors Inc Cuts Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

IFP Advisors Inc trimmed its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 25.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,206 shares of the company’s stock after selling 744 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value 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 approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $344.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $360.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $339.67. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.60, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LAD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

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.