Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,071 shares of the company’s stock after selling 382 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $5,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,294,000. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Lithia Motors by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 237,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,966,000 after purchasing an additional 3,558 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $407,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 1,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $520,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $317.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.67. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.00 and a 52-week high of $405.67. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $359.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $341.18.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. Equities research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 7.14%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $371.36.

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.