Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Shares Sold by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC lessened its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 27.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 201 shares of the company’s stock after selling 76 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $68,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 106.2% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. eCIO Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at about $55,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 1st quarter valued at about $59,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 63.7% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 203 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 30.1% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 212 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lithia Motors news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total transaction of $75,020.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $403,236.80. This trade represents a 15.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LAD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Lithia Motors in a report on Thursday, September 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $500.00 to $385.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $376.50.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 0.0%

LAD stock opened at $320.86 on Monday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $262.10 and a 52 week high of $405.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market cap of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.28. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $319.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $315.48.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.78 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 13.21% and a net margin of 2.39%.The business had revenue of $9.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.56 billion. On average, research analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $750.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 6.52%.

About Lithia Motors

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.