Tidal Investments LLC Has $1.25 Million Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 19.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,927 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 83.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 12,500.0% during 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 period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lithia Motors during the second quarter valued at approximately $80,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LAD. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Stephens boosted their target price on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $280.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $357.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This represents a 7.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 242 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $382.86, for a total transaction of $92,652.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $661,964.94. The trade was a 12.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 47,290 shares of company stock valued at $17,959,596. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.7 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $357.00 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average is $356.83 and its 200-day moving average is $304.20. The firm has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.18, a P/E/G ratio of 6.25 and a beta of 1.65. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.67.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.60 by $0.61. The company had revenue of $9.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.42 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.24%.

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.