Vise Technologies Inc. Makes New $838,000 Investment in Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $838,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1,062.8% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 11,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,679,000 after buying an additional 10,118 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the fourth quarter valued at $58,409,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 284,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,490,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 570.8% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 7,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,844,000 after acquiring an additional 6,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 140.7% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 11,396 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,787,000 after purchasing an additional 6,661 shares in the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

NYSE LAD opened at $371.96 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $337.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $300.40. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $239.78 and a twelve month high of $439.49. The company has a market capitalization of $8.18 billion, a PE ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $10.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.73 by $1.30. The company had revenue of $9.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.64 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.16% and a net margin of 1.88%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $10.24 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.70 dividend. This is a boost from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is 9.29%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $365.00 to $455.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $306.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lithia Motors from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $436.33.

Insider Activity at Lithia Motors

In related news, Director Richard J. Bailey, Jr. sold 297 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.57, for a total value of $83,329.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $213,233.20. The trade was a 28.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 165 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.64, for a total transaction of $50,430.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $513,780.84. This trade represents a 8.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 537 shares of company stock worth $157,385 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

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.