International Assets Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 18,440 Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD)

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 18,440 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,072,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Lithia Motors at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 492,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,383,000 after acquiring an additional 45,977 shares during the last quarter. Kensico Capital Management Corp lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 41.3% during the third quarter. Kensico Capital Management Corp now owns 113,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,372,000 after acquiring an additional 33,000 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 1,288.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 31,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,410,000 after acquiring an additional 29,567 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 67.7% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 60,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,965,000 after acquiring an additional 24,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 24.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 113,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,663,000 after purchasing an additional 22,332 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 138 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.42, for a total transaction of $35,109.96. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $566,847.76. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on LAD. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $385.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price objective on shares of Lithia Motors in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Lithia Motors from $285.00 to $270.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on Lithia Motors in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $318.55.

Lithia Motors Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE LAD opened at $263.46 on Wednesday. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 12 month low of $207.08 and a 12 month high of $331.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $278.41 and a 200-day moving average of $283.21. The company has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.59.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $6.11 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.85 by ($1.74). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.58 billion. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.87% and a return on equity of 15.62%. The business’s revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.44 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 32.24 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.90%.

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.