Alaska Permanent Fund Corp Has $3 Million Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp cut its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,106 shares of the company’s stock after selling 94 shares during the period. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.79% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LAD traded down $16.15 on Wednesday, reaching $248.34. 710,466 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 215,238. The company has a fifty day moving average of $285.26 and a 200-day moving average of $284.10. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.69 and a twelve month high of $331.96. The company has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.85, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.05 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Saturday, March 9th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 5.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $300.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $297.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $334.60.

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.