Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Shares Sold by Bridge City Capital LLC

Bridge City Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,928 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,153 shares during the quarter. Lithia Motors accounts for about 1.8% of Bridge City Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Bridge City Capital LLC’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $6,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1,062.8% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,679,000 after acquiring an additional 10,118 shares during the period. Abrams Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Abrams Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,490,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $787,009,000 after acquiring an additional 45,856 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter worth approximately $58,409,000. Tabor Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,722,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 142,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,959,000 after acquiring an additional 16,226 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total transaction of $83,329.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. This represents a 28.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 245 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $294.64, for a total value of $72,186.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,846 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $543,905.44. This trade represents a 11.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 707 shares of company stock valued at $205,947. Company insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LAD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 30th. Barclays decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $348.00 price target for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.11.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Lithia Motors stock opened at $313.47 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $7.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $281.07 and a 200-day moving average of $298.85. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 52 week low of $239.78 and a 52 week high of $360.55.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $9.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.22 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The business’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.66 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 26th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 7.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This is an increase from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 8.01%.

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.