485 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Purchased by Rakuten Securities Inc.

Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 485 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $160,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth about $2,535,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $459,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $423,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 514.8% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $219,000 after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,072,000.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE:LAD opened at $261.20 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $288.43 and a 200 day moving average of $284.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.20, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.58. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1-year low of $205.97 and a 1-year high of $331.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported $8.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.11 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $7.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.95 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 17.33% and a net margin of 3.22%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.05 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 35.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 9th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $298.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $334.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total value of $40,208.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.