Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Buys Shares of 1,291 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 1,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Lithia Motors by 17.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 259,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,560,000 after purchasing an additional 37,677 shares during the period. Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,190,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 208,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,436,000 after buying an additional 2,108 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Lithia Motors by 497.7% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,314,000 after buying an additional 3,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Lithia Motors by 1,073.7% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $990,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534 shares during the period.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

LAD opened at $281.31 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $334.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $343.74. The firm has a market cap of $7.39 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.00 and a fifty-two week high of $405.68.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The company reported $7.79 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.33 by $0.46. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 2.21%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LAD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lithia Motors from $346.00 to $397.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 target price on shares of Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Lithia Motors from $420.00 to $360.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Lithia Motors from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lithia Motors presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Adam Chamberlain sold 403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $384.28, for a total value of $154,864.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 2,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,001,049.40. This represents a 13.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gary M. Glandon sold 325 shares of Lithia Motors stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $387.86, for a total value of $126,054.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,665 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,786.90. This trade represents a 16.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,246 shares of company stock valued at $433,724. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

About Lithia Motors

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.