Wells Fargo & Company MN Acquires 1,546 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,685 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,546 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.12% of Lithia Motors worth $10,968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LAD. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised 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 worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

Shares of LAD opened at $283.16 on Thursday. 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. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $317.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $341.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 9.54, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.21% and a return on equity of 12.43%. Analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.14%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 248 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $290.84, for a total transaction 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 approximately $377,219.48. The trade was a 16.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This trade represents a 13.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Corporate insiders own 0.87% 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. Its Financing Operations segment provides financing to customers buying and leasing retail vehicles.