Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 95.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,851 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,375 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of LAD. FourThought Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,609 shares of the company’s stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,492 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,150,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LAD shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Guggenheim downgraded Lithia Motors from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $308.40.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total value of $35,109.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares in the company, valued at $566,847.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.79% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $260.98 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $255.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $273.94. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $231.36 and a 1 year high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.63.

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.