Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 2,534 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LADFree Report) by 91.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 236 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,534 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $69,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 219.7% during the first quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,170,000 after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 61,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,989,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 47.8% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 5,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after buying an additional 1,928 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.1% in the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $346,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Finally, Whalen Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 71.0% during the first quarter. Whalen Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 337 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $295.94, for a total value of $99,731.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,974.08. The trade was a 17.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $305.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $415.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $417.00 to $356.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $382.50.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Lithia Motors

Lithia Motors Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of LAD opened at $307.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $328.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $326.33. The stock has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.46. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $247.01 and a 12 month high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LADGet Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $7.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.77 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $9.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.74% and a net margin of 2.30%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.11 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is 6.93%.

Lithia Motors Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD)

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