Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $1.85 Million Stock Position in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 45.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,842 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,930 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,846,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 114.6% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 88 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,383.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Lithia Motors in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000.

Lithia Motors Price Performance

LAD stock opened at $323.38 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $332.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $320.07. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52-week low of $262.10 and a 52-week high of $405.14. The company has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 1.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Congdon Stacy Loretz sold 75 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.00, for a total value of $27,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,810 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $651,600. This represents a 3.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LAD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $327.00 to $358.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $410.00 to $390.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.70.

Lithia Motors Profile

Lithia Motors, Inc is an American automotive retailer headquartered in Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1946 as a small auto body and glass shop, the company has grown through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest automotive retail networks in North America. Lithia operates dealerships across the United States and Canada, offering a broad portfolio of new and pre-owned vehicles from more than 40 different manufacturers.

The company’s core business activities include vehicle sales, financing, insurance, parts and service.