Vestcor Inc Buys New Stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,157 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $771,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1,420.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was 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 owns 1,665 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of Lithia Motors stock opened at $295.39 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.69. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $349.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $341.83. 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 12 month low of $243.00 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued 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 return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

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.