Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 43,087 Shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,389,870 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 43,087 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.06% of Lithia Motors worth $347,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 111.4% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 101.9% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, eCIO Inc. acquired a new stake in Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Zacks Research upgraded Lithia Motors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group increased their target price on Lithia Motors from $348.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup raised their price target on Lithia Motors from $326.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Lithia Motors from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $380.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the sale, the director directly owned 760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $213,233.20. This trade represents a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 165 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.64, for a total value of $50,430.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $513,780.84. The trade was a 8.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 782 shares of company stock worth $229,572 over the last ninety days. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of LAD opened at $330.44 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $298.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $293.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $239.78 and a one year high of $360.55. The company has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.26.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.49% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.66 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

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

Lithia Motors announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, May 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 7.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.