Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Shares Sold by Logan Capital Management Inc.

Logan Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 0.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,897 shares of the company’s stock after selling 175 shares during the quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.18% of Lithia Motors worth $13,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Dean Capital Management raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 1.9% during the first quarter. Dean Capital Management now owns 4,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,274,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC raised its stake in Lithia Motors by 10,136,710.0% during the first quarter. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC now owns 2,027,362 shares of the company’s stock valued at $595,112,000 after buying an additional 2,027,342 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the first quarter valued at approximately $482,000. Aristeia Capital L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the first quarter valued at approximately $380,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,336,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $383.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $315.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Bank of America increased their price target on Lithia Motors from $430.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Lithia Motors in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $364.00 to $317.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $380.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.05, for a total transaction of $75,020.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available through this link. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LAD opened at $339.96 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $320.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $313.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $8.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.08, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.31. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $255.32 and a 1 year high of $405.67.

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

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.52%.

Lithia Motors announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 26th that allows the company to repurchase $750.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.