Lithia Motors, Inc. $LAD Position Trimmed by UBS Group AG

UBS Group AG decreased its holdings in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 14.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 135,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,504 shares during the period. UBS Group AG’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $44,915,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LAD. Hook Mill Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in Lithia Motors in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,130,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 57.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 197,417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,691,000 after buying an additional 72,061 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 6,341.6% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 57,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,157,000 after acquiring an additional 56,567 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lithia Motors by 42.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 187,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,514,000 after acquiring an additional 55,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lithia Motors by 175.6% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 81,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,727,000 after acquiring an additional 51,873 shares during the last quarter.

Lithia Motors Stock Up 1.0%

LAD stock opened at $289.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $6.77 billion, a PE ratio of 10.17, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.28. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a 1 year low of $239.78 and a 1 year high of $360.55. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $302.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $7.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.06 by $0.28. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 1.88% and a return on equity of 12.49%. The firm had revenue of $9.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 34.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. This is a positive change from Lithia Motors’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Lithia Motors’s payout ratio is currently 7.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LAD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Lithia Motors from $380.00 to $370.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lithia Motors from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $293.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lithia Motors from $335.00 to $320.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lithia Motors currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $366.67.

About Lithia Motors

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.