Arizona State Retirement System Sells 131 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Arizona State Retirement System cut its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,761 shares of the company’s stock after selling 131 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $2,774,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAD. Versor Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 7.0% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 856 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $82,560,000 after acquiring an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $731,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after purchasing an additional 2,534 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the third quarter worth $248,000.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 2.3 %

LAD stock opened at $305.09 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $405.67. The stock has a market cap of $8.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $355.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $341.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.28.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total transaction of $154,864.84. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total transaction 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. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

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.