OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Invests $726,000 in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $726,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. CoreCap Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 114.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the third quarter worth about $31,000.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE LAD opened at $279.72 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $262.10 and a 12 month high of $360.55. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $323.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $320.77.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $6.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.09 by ($1.35). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.18% and a return on equity of 12.76%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.79 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LAD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $358.00 to $355.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Lithia Motors from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $335.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Evercore boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $386.00.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total transaction of $27,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,810 shares in the company, valued at $651,600. This trade represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.87% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lithia Motors Company Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.