94 Shares in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Acquired by Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 94 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 69.9% during the fourth 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 last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted 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 worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 30.5% in 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 last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $365.91.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total value of $72,128.32. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 1,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.80, for a total value of $80,676.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $362,444.40. The trade was a 18.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock worth $433,724. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $281.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.48, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $334.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $343.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.28 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 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.