Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Sells 36 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,434 shares of the company’s stock after selling 36 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $513,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Lithia Motors by 1.3% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 3,862 shares of the company’s stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Lithia Motors by 23.9% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,911 shares of the company’s stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 124 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 3.3 %

LAD stock opened at $367.41 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $365.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $325.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 1.67.

Insider Activity

In other Lithia Motors news, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total value of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at approximately $80,408,369.28. This trade represents a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Tina Miller sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $392.72, for a total transaction of $392,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,403 shares in the company, valued at $4,085,466.16. The trade was a 8.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,770 shares of company stock worth $15,103,607. 1.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $343.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark assumed coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $405.00 to $400.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $357.40.

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.