Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Stock Holdings Lessened by Sei Investments Co.

Sei Investments Co. lessened its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 14.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,886 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,869 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.21% of Lithia Motors worth $20,333,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 12.8% in 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 during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 362,022 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,398,000 after purchasing an additional 55,142 shares during the period. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $113,250,000. Tensile Capital Management LP grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 261,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,071,000 after buying an additional 6,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after buying an additional 37,677 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Five equities 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.com, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $365.91.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $295.60 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $341.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $342.10. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68. The firm has a market cap of $7.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 7.14%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the sale, the director now owns 1,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Lithia Motors

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.