Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) Shares Sold by Atria Investments Inc

Atria Investments Inc reduced its stake in Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD) by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,450 shares of the company’s stock after selling 440 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Lithia Motors were worth $1,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LAD. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lithia Motors in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $607,000. Comerica Bank increased its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 89.0% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 29,473 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,867,000 after purchasing an additional 13,875 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 22.9% in the second quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 70,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,774,000 after buying an additional 13,126 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lithia Motors by 118.9% in the second quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 160,860 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,609,000 after buying an additional 87,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in Lithia Motors by 46.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 10,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,650,000 after buying an additional 3,313 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Chris Holzshu sold 8,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.21, for a total transaction of $2,855,989.20. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 32,054 shares in the company, valued at $10,744,821.34. This represents a 21.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Bryan B. Deboer sold 15,846 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $386.72, for a total transaction of $6,127,965.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 207,924 shares in the company, valued at $80,408,369.28. The trade was a 7.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 50,394 shares of company stock worth $16,688,879 over the last quarter. 1.79% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on LAD shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $350.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $299.00 to $343.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. StockNews.com raised Lithia Motors from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Stephens lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Lithia Motors from $375.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $353.80.

Lithia Motors Stock Performance

Shares of LAD stock opened at $371.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 1.18. Lithia Motors, Inc. has a one year low of $243.00 and a one year high of $388.36. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $319.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $285.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66 and a beta of 1.63.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $8.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.60 by $0.61. Lithia Motors had a net margin of 2.31% and a return on equity of 12.95%. The business had revenue of $9.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.25 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Lithia Motors, Inc. will post 29.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lithia Motors Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.57%. Lithia Motors’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.24%.

Lithia Motors Profile

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.