Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by FourThought Financial Partners LLC

FourThought Financial Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LAD. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $46,505,000. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,960.2% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,909 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,311,000 after purchasing an additional 120,749 shares in the last quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 5,233.4% during the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 107,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,187,000 after acquiring an additional 105,611 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Lithia Motors by 12.8% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 753,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,204,000 after acquiring an additional 85,579 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lithia Motors during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,071,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on LAD. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $371.36.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $345.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $360.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $339.61. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.22 billion, a PE ratio of 11.66, a P/E/G 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, topping the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.61%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the 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 owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. The trade was a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Company 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.