Cerity Partners LLC Takes Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $423,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.0% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 17,113 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,054,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 11,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,510,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $918,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, OneAscent Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 135 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.84, for a total transaction of $40,208.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 1,662 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,010.08. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $257.73 on Friday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.69 and a twelve month high of $331.96. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $284.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $283.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.10, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). Lithia Motors had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 17.33%. The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $8.44 earnings per share. Lithia Motors’s revenue for the quarter was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LAD shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $290.00 to $248.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $320.82.

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.